The music biopic is a subgenre that is as prevalent as it is tired. Leave it to multi-hyphenate Pharrell Williams to find a unique avenue. One of the 21st century’s biggest hitmakers, Pharrell tapped Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville to direct Piece by Piece, a documentary of his life told entirely in LEGO animation. It’s an interesting spin on a familiar formula that gives the movie some fresh energy, even if it doesn’t fully capture everything.
The movie starts with Pharrell sitting down with Neville, explaining his desire for the documentary to be in LEGO form. From there, Pharrell recounts his life story: growing up in Virginia Beach, where his parents instilled a love for music from an early age. As a teenager, he grew up alongside fellow Virginia Beach natives (and future superstars) Missy Elliott and Timbaland. Eventually, he met fellow musician Chad Hugo, and together they formed the producing duo The Neptunes.
Pharrell and Chad got their first break working for new jack swing producer Teddy Riley. The pair would later go their own path, becoming two of the biggest producers in the industry, turning out dozens of the biggest pop and hip-hop hits of the last 25 years for artists like Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Gwen Stefani, and many more—nearly all of whom appear in LEGO-animated talking-head interviews. Pharrell became a full-on mogul in his own right by the 2010s, developing a successful solo career, becoming a fashion designer, and venturing into entrepreneurship.
“Ironically, the LEGO animation is both Piece by Piece’s greatest asset and its biggest crutch.”
Early on, Pharrell explains that he has a condition known as synesthesia, allowing him to “see” music as colours. This is best exemplified in an incredible kaleidoscopic sequence where young Pharrell listens to Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish” for the first time. It’s in moments like these that you realize the justification for using LEGO to tell his story. Even though it’s very much a gimmick, the animation works in line with how Pharrell creatively experiences the world. The musical fantasy elements also shine, with one standout moment being Gwen Stefani’s description of No Doubt’s “Hella Good,” where the rock and hip-hop worlds literally collide and become one big dance party.
The middle section is essentially a small sampling of The Neptunes’ legendary run in the early-to-mid 2000s. It’s easy to forget how much they dominated both pop and hip-hop charts during those years until the film plays snippets of a dozen megahits like “Hot in Herre,” “U Don’t Have to Call,” and “I’m a Slave 4 U” back-to-back, many of them released within the same year. It was impossible for me not to smile during this section, not just because of my love for those songs but because the person next to me was increasingly shocked by the sheer number of hits the duo were behind.
“He did that song too?!” was probably repeated every few seconds. These interviews with the artists lead to great re-enactments of classic music videos like Clipse’s “Grindin” or Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” the latter featuring a hilarious moment where Snoop’s weed-smoking is replaced with a kid-friendly “PG spray.”
“The most frustrating aspect of Piece by Piece is how Chad Hugo is reduced to being mostly a silent background character with only a handful of lines.”
Ironically, the LEGO animation is both Piece by Piece’s greatest asset and its biggest crutch. As creative and fantastical as the movie gets, I didn’t feel like I got a deeper insight into who Pharrell is outside of his public persona, aside from his synesthesia and his relationship with his religion. Although there are moments that are shockingly adult for a LEGO film—such as depictions of Pusha T’s early life as a drug dealer, a Black Lives Matter protest, and a surprisingly uncensored moment of profanity—it never delves deeply into these heavier topics, offering only a cursory glance to remain family-friendly.
In addition, while Pharrell didn’t face any salacious struggles in his career, the film’s requisite “career downturn” feels hilariously minor, even by music biopic standards. He struggles to pay attention to his family because… he’s too busy juggling his music and fashion careers, I guess. It’s disappointing how closed-off the film feels compared to Neville’s fantastic Fred Rogers documentary, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, which provided great insight into Rogers’ life beyond his role as a TV host.
The most frustrating aspect of Piece by Piece is how Chad Hugo is reduced to being mostly a silent background character with only a handful of lines. While Chad is a fairly reserved person in real life, it’s still frustrating to see the second half of this titanic music duo minimized to such an extent. There’s even a moment when Pharrell mentions that The Neptunes briefly broke up in the late 2000s but offers no explanation as to why. It’s a frustrating note made sadder by the fact that, as of this writing, Pharrell and Hugo are in a legal battle over The Neptunes trademark and are no longer on speaking terms.
Piece by Piece plays more like an episode of Behind the Music than a deeply insightful film, but the animation is so charming and the music so good that I was ultimately won over. At the very least, it’s one of the more refreshing biopics I’ve seen in a while, and you’ll walk out of it feeling pretty happy.
Check out more of CGMagazine’s TIFF 2024 coverage here.
