'Piece by Piece' review: Pharrell Williams finds his happy place in Legoland biography

2024 is proving to be an exciting year for the revival of music biography. Of course, it started off weak bog-standard A love and the Annoying Back to black. But summer brought shameless rebellion Knee capIt played like an early Guy Ritchie crime romp. and brought a double act to the Toronto International Film Festival A great man, It reimagines British pop star Robbie Williams as a literal dancing monkey Piece by piece, It features American rapper/songwriter/producer/fashion designer Pharrell Williams spinning his life story into a LEGO movie.

While the stories hit the familiar beats of the rags-to-riches arc, these two remarkable reinventions set their content apart through style. But where A great man Adopts a warts-and-all approach, Pharrell Williams – announced documentary in collaboration with Morgan Neville (20 feet from the star, Won't you be my neighbor?) presents an inspiring animated biography for all ages.

Revealing the low points of Williams' journey, the film has received mixed reviews since its debut at the Telluride Film Festival. But the more I thought about what this movie had to offer, the more I was won over by its playful, polished approach.

Piece by piece Turns America's biggest hip-hop stars into minifigs.

To trace the arc of Williams' story, Neville interviewed the multi-hyphenate star, his wife Helen Lasichan, and a dizzying array of collaborators and colleagues, including Snoop Dogg, Missy Elliott, Jay-Z, The Neptunes' Chad Hugo, and Gwen Stefani. , and so on. In an interview with Mashable, Williams revealed that many of these interviewees had no idea that their contributions would be filtered through the LEGO lens, only to discover that they had been turned into minifigs. The first trailer was a hit.

Neville's visual interpretation of these interviews includes such amusing flourishes as turning Snoop Dogg into a Lego Doberman and literalizing metaphors about bakeries, Lego Pharrell selling sweet treats the way he sold his hit Beats. In one case, the idea of ​​having one's mind blown by sick music is illustrated by a grinning minifig's head in wonder. These choices not only bring a playfulness to the film but are sure to please the fans The Lego Movie And The Lego Batman MovieBut it also reflects the tone of Williams' hits like “Happy” and “Get Lucky.”

Rather, by turning himself into a plaything, Piece by piece It provides a creative distance for Williams to reflect on his own life as much as one of his many media projects. He opens with a warm story about his childhood at the Atlantis Apartments in Virginia Beach. The colorful blocks not only recreate his humble home, but also create a more fantastical version of Atlantis, where the afro-wearing child Farrell swims with a giant goldfish as Poseidon watches. This captivating scene showcases Pharrell's imagination, creating large, surreal scenes that become a recurring theme – from Lego to dreaming up a musical biopic.

Piece by piece is a Small machine that can A story that children will love.

Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features

After this strange plunge into oceans made of bricks, Williams admits to being considered an oddball by others, admitting, “It broke my spirit.” But the weird kids out there (or the weird adults they've become) can take solace in the fact that little Pharrell finds his crew, each of whom enjoys making music. From there, Piece by piece Being true to yourself and putting in the work to build your dream becomes a success story. From “Hot in Herre” and “Shake Ya Ass” to “Hollaback Girl” and “Blurred Lines,” Neville laced up a variety of Pharrell-contributed hits. (Parents, don't fret. Some of the racing lyrics have been neatly plucked.)

While it's initially fun to indulge in the nostalgia of Neville recreating iconic music videos with minifigs, the device starts to get old as the story of his rise drops a lot of name and track. Pardon the pun, but just a little tip on things. And then when it comes to a low point – the need for any biography or story – Williams backs off.

Piece by piece Cannot indulge in its great swing.

Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features

Rosie's memories of childhood troubles are one thing, but sharing why her life fell apart is a Lego bridge. Instead of probing the questions, Neville blazed a trail with a rant about how his subject's greatest weakness was that he had too many ideas. Colleagues talk vaguely about some business blunder or shameless yes-men who gave Williams the wrong advice, and these unnamed negative influences are imagined as a trio of gray ghosts wearing smiles and business suits.

Here the film suffers. Even with a minifig mask, Williams can't let his audience into dark moments. (On the other hand, this is where A great man (Positively growing.) Quickly, Williams reconnects with his pure inspiration, and the third act turns into a celebration of comedy and heart with song, dance and Lego bits. But this staggered beat undercuts the film's message. Being true to yourself is not a one-time battle; It is ongoing. But with a community – like minifig friends and family Piece by piece – One can remove their block and rebuild it.

Even with the help of an on-screen avatar, can Williams not acknowledge the ugly truths of her own story? Or were he and Neville afraid of self-doubt on anything but a brief note that might detract from their enjoyment of the movie? To that, I'd like to point to other LEGO movies where the LEGO universe and LEGO Gotham are brought to the brink of utter destruction without losing faith in their minifig heroes. Heck, The Lego Movie 2: Part II Even turned the dark side of its happy hero into a minifig villain!

This wobble aside, Piece by piece A triumphant reinvention of musical biography. Animation passionately brings the audience into the experience of Pharrell Williams. Not only do colorful blocks allow the creation of musical beats to become a physical act rather than an abstract idea, Ratatouille-It's like understanding how this art form affects its hero. His synesthesia is displayed in waves of color as the pulse bounces.

While this colorful concept means Piece by piece It's easy to wish that kids could be successful and dare to explore the complexities of being an adult a little more. But overall, Piece by piece A delight where the audience can dance in the aisles.

Piece by piece Now playing in theaters.

Update: October 10, 2024, 4:24 pm EDT “Piece by Piece” has received rave reviews since its international premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. This review was originally published on September 12, 2024, and has been updated to reflect viewing preferences.