MOVIE REVIEW A documentary about Pharrell Williams rendered entirely as a Lego movie? It's understandable to be a bit skeptical of this gimmick, but in "Piece by Piece," directed by Oscar-winning documentarian Morgan Neville, it's a gimmick that works. In an introductory bit of conversation about the film between the subject and director, it's explained how the Lego style affords the somewhat mysterious and inscrutable Williams a shield that allows him to let his guard down while sharing his personal story. It also comes to make thematic sense in the larger narrative about how he understands his life and the context in which he exists.
Of course, the Lego style is also just fun, a spin on the usual biographical documentary which tells the story of a creative genius through talking head interviews and archival footage. Everything here is Lego: the interviews, the music videos, the home movies, the scenes of Williams returning to his hometown of Virginia Beach to perform a homecoming concert. The style is funny and cute, and while it offers him a modicum of privacy, it also makes you want to revisit the real thing when the film is over.
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Williams' career started in the era of the big-budget blockbuster music video in the late 1990s and early 2000s, so there is plenty of material to search in his back catalog. If anything, "Piece by Piece" is a reminder that the musician, now known for family-friendly bops like "Happy," is responsible for some of the bi.
