Director Morgan Neville’s Piece by Piece is the story of Pharrell Williams in the only way it could be told … with Legos.
There’s a moment towards the beginning of Piece by Piece where Pharrell talks about his childhood and his connection to music. How he saw much. How music felt. In that moment Morgan Neville and the crew of artisans show us the reason why they made the film with Legos. It’s a moment that takes us to a Gene Wilder singing Pure Imagination in a perfect moment of … well pure imagination. This flight of fantasy is more than just visual grandeur for grandeur’s sake, it’s opening us up to Williams’s heart and soul displayed on screen. Piece by Piece is more than a paint-by-numbers music documentary but an exploration into the artistry and humanity of music and how it binds us all.
The film does chart Williams’s rise from West Virginia to one of the most influential people in popular culture. Piece by Piece does sugarcoat certain things, the breakup of The Neptunes/NERD, but it never says that Williams was the lone singular genius behind everything. In fact, Williams and the film are most critical of him during the most congested time of his life when he, by his own admission, lost sight of what was most important.
Yes, there are congratulatory appearances by Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Gwen Stefani, Justin Timberlake, and others but their done in a sly tongue-in-cheek way (how can you not when the person is a Lego mini-fig). Though the best is Snoop Dog’s appearance (the way they solve his height difference … chef’s kiss) and how they get away with the implication of the weed smoking is hilarious and the kind of mindfully playful wit on display. However, as soon as Daft Punk’s Get Lucky begins one would have a hard time throwing too much criticism at a film that is so eager to be blissfully alive and visually stunning.
Piece by Piece does tackle some heady subjects (Black Lives Matter for instance), but this is where the genius of the film’s use of Legos comes into play. By Williams forcing Neville’s hand in creating an entire documentary in Legos – Piece by Piece disarms itself and invites anyone to enjoy the film. How can one be mad at a Lego mini-fig? The answer is you can’t, or you could have to be one seriously troubled soul. By adding that protective layer Piece by Piece becomes a film that is hard to not fall in love with regardless of who you are and what you like.
Piece by Piece is a brilliant piece of documentary style and artistry. One that’s as entertaining as any film released this year.