By Ineza Merci
A Lego movie about Pharell Williams might sound odd, but after watching the song-filled biopic, it just felt right! “Piece by Piece” mixes the story of how Pharell Williams became the quirky musician we know him to be; with the charm of Lego, crafting a brilliant and creative spin on both biographies and animation. Â
In the beginning, I saw Lego pieces designed to display the birthplace of Williams—Virginia Beach. The Legos created the neighborhood Williams and his family once lived in, his school, parents, friends, and more! Director Morgan Neville made sure to reimagine key moments in Williams’ life, all set to a soundtrack made by the musician himself.Â
I found the combination of a real interview and the animated reenactments to be very smart. The colorful visuals in stop motion kept me engaged with the story, the addition of celebrity characters who’ve been affected or have been affected by Pharell Williams’ artistic abilities was a nice touch. It provided sentimental moments that almost brought me to tears. Moments that displayed the humble beginnings of Pharell Williams, events that depicted the “right place, right time” and the growth of a kid from the DMV who had a dream of being a musician, ultimately unlocked a new soft spot in my heart for the whimsical, creative film.Â
Now I will say, that the film does brush over the depiction of how he and Chad Hugo, together known as The Neptunes, broke up and stopped making music together. The Neptunes was a major milestone in Williams’ career, so not providing some details that led to the splitting of the duo was unfortunate.Â
Ultimately, the film did a nice job of not only showcasing how Williams rose to fame but to proving how resilient Williams was—as hurdles and personal issues came along the way. The film was released in theaters on October 11th, it’s rated PG for overall content and is currently sitting at 83% of Rotten Tomatoes. 4 out of 5 stars.