"Piece By Piece," a biopic detailing the life of the iconic artist and creative Pharrell Williams, hit theaters across the country in October. Directed by Morgan Neville, the film takes a unique approach by telling the story through Lego animation.
The film is based around interviews of Williams and the people in his life, as it follows his journey from childhood up until the Black Lives Matter movement. In these interviews, the movie is able to flex an impressive cast including, but not limited to, artists such as Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar.
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While the artists featured may be a fun addition to the story, this is without a doubt a Pharrell Williams movie and really gives non-fans a reason to attach to his story. Other characters in the film compare Williams to a little brother that everyone wants to protect, which is a perfect analogy.
Most people can relate to having someone in their life like Williams whose positive and energetic personality is infectious. The movie strives for audience relatability in moments such as Williams trying too hard to impress music labels or being occasionally unable to understand social cues.
While the idea of a musician biopic may bring to mind movies such as "Bohemian Rhapsody," "Rocketman" or "Elvis," the Lego animation style creates a different tone that distances it from others of the genre. This brings up one of its biggest strengths, its tone and overall freshness.
While many biopics focus on showcasing the classic tortured rockstar, "Piece By Piece" showcases no dramatic overdoses, no screaming match between bandmates and no inauthentic Oscar-bait moments. Despite the Lego exterior, these choices make the film feel all the more real than its live action counterparts.
Between the comedy and creativity on display, it's hard to imagine this movie without the Lego style — as it's baked into every aspect of the story. In scenes where Pharrell is creating music, it's showcased by him throwing together different colorful bricks — something that could only be represented in such a colorful medium.
What isn't unique, though, is how the story plays out. Many beats in the story feel familiar, like Pharrell finding his love for music as a child, then showcasing the early years of trying to make it right before his big break and finally his eventual fall and redemption.
Though these themes still don't feel as pandering as some overused biopic tropes, they can feel a tad cliche.
But despite the occasional cliches and less-than-stellar voice acting from the real-life musicians, the positively infectious main lead of Pharrell Williams and the unique narrative tone helps "Piece by Piece" stand out as a biopic and overall film, and may even have you leaving the theater with a song or two stuck in your head.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Edited by Andrew Dirst, Sophia Braccio and Tiya Talwar
Reach the reporter at mamareng@asu.edu and follow @matthewmarengo on X.
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Matthew is a sophomore studying journalism and mass communications. This is his second semester with The State Press. He has also worked at The Cut Network.
