Welcome back to the world of Lego, a place where everything is fantastic, colourful, creative, and fun. Have you ever heard of Pharrell Williams? If you don’t know, Pharrell Williams is an American musician who continues working on many great musical titles, including ‘Double Life’, featured in the animation smash hit film Despicable Me 4. But the question is, how did Pharrell Williams get to his current level of fame? What better way to show you than through the eyes of all things Lego?
Beginning with director Morgan Neville hosting a behind-the-scenes Q&A with the legendary Pharrell Williams, we trace back the origins of his music career, including his early experiences in school, which sparked his passion for music. We also get to watch the various challenges he faced along the way. The film presents a vibrant, creative, and entertaining narrative, enhanced by the use of Lego and aspects of Pharrell’s personal history. Additionally, it features interviews with several well-known celebrities, including Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg, Oprah Winfrey, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Kendrick Lamar, and N.O.R.E. Get ready to reflect on Pharrell’s life as we explore it ‘piece by piece’.
Piece by Piece is a biography and animated feature ideal for family audiences. It features a variety of musical numbers, light-hearted humour, and positive messages. It was directed by Morgan Neville, who has previously worked on films such as Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (2018) and They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead (2018), along with many other documentaries.
To get straight to the point, Piece by Piece is a remarkable film. As a film buff, I must admit that I didn’t know much about Pharrell Williams, aside from his work on various soundtracks for popular movies, such as Despicable Me. Discovering his personal journey and music career was enlightening and moving for me. I found the film both informative and touching. Additionally, I appreciated its positive message and encouraging perspective on life.
Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2024 FOCUS FEATURES LLC
Thanks to Lego, we can see Pharrell’s past, life, and creative way of thinking, including how he perceives music as bright and vibrant colours. Telling the entire film using Lego is a fantastic and unique approach to storytelling on the big screen. In addition to the extraordinary visuals and fun narrative, the film features a remarkable soundtrack. It is filled with fantastic musical numbers from various artists, including Pharrell. You can’t help but want to dance or tap your feet to the excellent and smooth beats throughout the film.
I have relatively minor issues with the film. True, the narrative sometimes feels repetitive as Pharrell interacts with different celebrity artists to compose a hit track and the film’s conclusion feels rushed and somewhat packed, differing in tone and strength from the rest of the movie, but the final moments are wonderfully impacting.
Overall, Piece by Piece is genuinely remarkable. It showcases Pharrell Williams’s upbringing and life and goes deep into the musician’s mind. The film captivates viewers with its vibrant creative concepts and colours, ensuring that there is always something visually engaging happening on-screen. It is also highly informative, deep, heartfelt, and personal. All is told from the perspective of those who collaborated with Williams, his family and the iconic artist himself. Much like Lego, the soundtrack is lively and will have you entranced. With a positive message at its core, this film is guaranteed to leave you feeling happy and upbeat.
Piece by Piece (2024) is available in Australian Cinemas starting December 1st!
FILM SCORE: 7.5/10
Published: 24th November 2024
Written by: Peter Walkden
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