Review: In Pharrell Documentary Piece by Piece, Filmmaker Morgan Neville Creates the Producer/Performer’s World Through Legos

I will make no apologies for how much I liked this movie; I don’t typically make apologies for liking any movie, but a biographic documentary about recording artist/producer Pharrell Williams animated like a LEGO movie might strike some folks as an odd approach. But if you know anything about Pharrell, then you’ll understand that the approach isn’t as strange as it initially sounds.

Directed by the masterful (and Oscar-winning) Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom, Won’t You Be My Neighbor, Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain), Piece By Piece tells Pharrell’s story from a supportive childhood in Virginia (where he went to high school with Missy Elliot, Timbaland, and his eventual creative partner Chad Hugo) to megastardom as part of the producing team (with Hugo) The Neptunes and eventually a recording artist, which culminated with the mega-hit “Happy,” from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack.

And the entire tale is told with LEGO animation, meaning that everyone interviewed about Pharrell (his parents, oldest friends, and a parade of superstar collaborators like Snoop Dogg, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Gwen Stefani, and Kendrick Lamar) are rendered like LEGO characters, and it completely works. Since Pharrell began his rise to success shopping his beats around to different labels and artists, Neville (who is also a LEGO character in the movie, often discussing with his subject whether this approach to a doc is the right one) uses the creativity offered by the bricks as a way to show Pharrell’s beats as physical, colorful objects with lights. So when he’s building a track, we see him crafting a small object that can be passed around or put back on the shelf for someone else to use later.

Later in his career, Pharrell got into a whole lot of merchandising, and the film even pokes fun of some of the products he was willing to put his name on. But as a kid who grew up poor, his obsession with wealth accumulation makes sense. As hitmakers, the Neptunes were untouchable, as the film’s soundtrack makes crystal clear. As an artist and singer, Pharrell certainly had his moments. Piece By Piece takes us through the producers’ hit songs for other artists, their rock band side project N.E.R.D., and eventually Pharrell’s solo career, which began with the hit song “Frontin’,” featuring a riff and beats originally written for and rejected by Prince.

The film also gets quite personal, going into Pharrell’s courtship and eventual marriage to wife Helen (who gives her first-ever interview for the movie); him letting his ego get the best of him and breaking off his partnership with Hugo; and even making an album that simply wasn’t that good because he was thinking too hard about who it would appeal to, instead of making it sound good to his ear.

Yet as much as the film and the subject aren’t afraid to show Pharrell’s flaws, Piece By Piece feels like it’s polishing the truth a bit too much in places. His failures are mostly glossed over, and the stories about creating some of his most iconic tracks seem like someone is telling the legend rather than the facts. That being said, the fact that the film takes the time to tackle the creative process to any degree is admirable and becomes one of the movie’s foundational pillars.

Sometimes Pharrell feels like he’s trying too hard to sound like a new breed of philosopher, when his music does most of the talking for him as far as his creativity and innovations goes. Piece By Piece isn’t perfect, but it is a lot of toe-tapping fun and an energetic, adorable, colorful run through an era of pop and hip-hop that was a golden age for so many.

The film is now playing in theaters.

Did you enjoy this post? Please consider supporting Third Coast Review’s arts and culture coverage by making a donation. Choose the amount that works best for you, and know how much we appreciate your support! 

Steve Prokopy

Steve Prokopy is chief film critic for the Chicago-based arts outlet Third Coast Review. For nearly 20 years, he was the Chicago editor for Ain’t It Cool News, where he contributed film reviews and filmmaker/actor interviews under the name “Capone.” Currently, he’s a frequent contributor at /Film (SlashFilm.com) and Backstory Magazine. He is also the public relations director for Chicago's independently owned Music Box Theatre, and holds the position of Vice President for the Chicago Film Critics Association. In addition, he is a programmer for the Chicago Critics Film Festival, which has been one of the city's most anticipated festivals since 2013.