Movies

Review: Pharrell hits the bricks in Lego-rendered ‘Piece by Piece,’ quirky but not deep

BBG News

Review: Pharrell hits the bricks in Lego-rendered 'Piece by Piece,' quirky but not deep

As a long-time connoisseur of documentaries and a child of the late ’90s, I must confess that “Piece by Piece” has left me utterly spellbound. The blend of Lego animation and Pharrell Williams’ life story is an innovative move that, quite frankly, had me questioning whether the director had unearthed the lost art of building with interlocking plastic bricks while under the influence of one too many cups of Starbucks coffee!

A film made entirely with Legos depicting the life of Pharrell Williams, directed by Oscar-winning documentarian Morgan Neville, might initially seem like an odd choice. However, in “Piece by Piece,” this unique approach proves effective. The film’s creators discuss their decision to use Legos as a means for the enigmatic and complex Williams to feel comfortable opening up about his personal life. Additionally, the Lego style aligns with the movie’s broader theme of understanding one’s life and place in the world, which is central to Pharrell’s narrative.

Absolutely, the Lego-styled approach is delightful too – it’s a refreshing twist on traditional biographical documentaries. Instead of typical interviews and archival footage, this one uses Lego figures to narrate the story of a creative genius, namely Mr. Williams. The entire production, from interviews to music videos, home movies, and scenes showing Williams performing a hometown concert in Virginia Beach, is all made of Legos. This whimsical style is both amusing and endearing, providing him with some privacy while still leaving you yearning for more of the genuine article once the film concludes.

Williams’ career took off during the time of high-budget blockbuster music videos in the late 90s and early 2000s, providing a wealth of work to explore in his archives. To put it simply, “Piece by Piece” serves as a testament that this artist, renowned for upbeat, family-friendly tunes like “Happy,” is also the mastermind behind some of the century’s most catchy hip-hop tracks. He created hit after hit in collaboration with his longtime friend and partner Chad Hugo, as part of the Neptunes.

A significant portion of “Piece by Piece” revolves around Williams’ creative and dream-filled childhood experiences that laid the groundwork for his professional success. Born in Virginia Beach housing projects, he found inspiration from the ocean nearby, the thunderous Blue Angels jets, television personality Carl Sagan, his grandmother, and most notably, his peers. Williams shared his formative years with Timbaland and Missy Elliott, encountered Hugo in band class, and later created songs for numerous local rappers. The Neptunes, their high school band, were discovered by Teddy Riley who owned a recording studio close by, offering them their initial stepping stone into the music industry.

Although Williams aspired to be a lead singer, the Neptunes transformed into the most popular hip-hop producers of the late ’90s, inventing mind-bending rhythms for artists such as Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Mystikal, Busta Rhymes, and many others. They further expanded their repertoire to pop music, creating tracks for Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, No Doubt, among others. The concept of Lego serves as a perfect medium to visually animate these songs, as vibrant, moving abstractions come alive to the sound of the music.

At the turn of the millennium, the Neptunes left an indelible mark on both music and pop culture that’s tough to fully grasp. As the band N.E.R.D., Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo were instrumental in pushing rap and hip-hop beyond the glitzy, flashy image of models and champagne, instead infusing a cooler, more underground vibe into their tunes and style, blending skateboard culture and rock influences along the way.

Neville’s movie adheres to a conventional structure: Born into a simple yet nurturing setting, an individual rises to fame by pursuing success. However, there’s a brief creative slump as he overextends himself and forms partnerships; in the end, he rediscovers his inspiration and renewed connection to his origins. The filmmaker chooses not to delve too deeply or pose challenging questions, instead creating a flattering portrayal of a celebrity, given the Lego style. In other words, this isn’t an intense investigation but a friendly depiction of a famous figure.

Nevertheless, Neville successfully aligns his unique, playful approach with a thought-provoking message. In a similar manner to assembling Lego structures, creating music entails combining diverse fragments and components bit by bit. This theme is consistently present throughout the movie, and by the conclusion, both Williams and Neville broaden this notion beyond mere music production. Williams notes that our surroundings, society itself, are constructed and designed. The appeal in this idea lies in its implication of change potential; it suggests that we have the power to alter and reinterpret the world, a concept that Neville presents alongside the Williams-produced “Alright” by Kendrick Lamar, a song which became a rallying cry during the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020.

In essence, ‘Piece by Piece’ stands out as a deeply touching autobiography and serves as a poignant testament to Williams’ significant influence on popular culture. The Lego-style presentation doesn’t dilute the impact of his message, but instead mirrors the unique, unconventional mindset of the artist, who has consistently followed his own rhythm and guided the cultural landscape with his distinctive perspective.

Katie Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.

Read More

2024-10-10 13:33

Previous post Outer Banks season 4 episode 2’s watery hunt for treasure puts the story back on track (Review)
Next post Formula 1: How an unexpected change set off a big chain reaction