When I walked into the theater to see “Piece by Piece” on October 11, I expected to see a creatively put-together movie with good music. I was not disappointed. The movie, which follows the life of musician Pharrell Williams, is a bright, innovative and educational narrative told through Lego, that breaks the bounds of what a biography can be.
Starting with Williams’ idea to do the film through Lego, the film discusses challenges that Williams faced with being different from other people, beginning when he was a child. The movie also tells the story of Williams’ relationship with music and of his career; how Williams got into the music industry, and successes and difficulties he faced.
Before watching the movie, I only knew Williams from a few of his songs. Watching it taught me a lot about his musical career as a producer and the influence that he has had on other musicians. Although you might only know him from his hit song “Happy,” Williams has also produced many popular songs for a variety of different artists throughout a variety of genres.
I thought the format of the movie was especially interesting. The narrative was told through many different interviews with important people in Williams’ life. While in a live-action movie, many of the main characters may not have participated, the unique format of “Piece by Piece” allowed every character to voice themselves.
Although the format was interesting, at times, this narrative style was difficult to follow. Two scenes where I found this particularly confusing were after Williams said he’s been fired three times, and the differing perspectives about Virginia Beach, where Williams grew up.
While this movie is a Lego movie, it is important to acknowledge that it didn’t hold some characteristics viewers might expect. Many know Lego movies to be funny and lighthearted. “Piece by Piece” has some humorous parts, however it is a biography and therefore leans towards the serious side.
Nonetheless, I thought that having a biography in Lego format was genius, as it defies many norms of what a biography can be. With the Legos, Williams was able to convey his synesthesia and obsession with water in ways he would not have been able to with a live-action movie.
This format perfectly matched the message Williams attempted to convey, and matches who Williams is as an artist; someone who defies what people before him have done, and goes beyond to make something new. Williams broke the old way people expected music producers to be, and was wildly successful in the process, much like his biography challenges what a bibliography traditionally is.
Since watching the movie, I have done a little more research on Williams and learned that the film excluded going into more in-depth information, such as why the Neptunes, Williams and record producer Chad Hugo’s producing company, broke up. Despite this, having not watched the film, I would not have known of the huge significance that Williams plays in the music industry.
I highly recommend watching this movie, as it is not only a groundbreaking way to show someone’s life story, but is also telling of some of the music we have grown up with. Watching “Piece by Piece” taught me a lot about the music industry. I’ve never seen a biography done in this format, and it perfectly matched what I learned about Williams, how his unconventionality helped him achieve widespread success.