'Piece by Piece' is More of a Commercial Than a Documentary
How can a movie be so creative yet so dull? Piece by Piece is a unique look into the life of a pop icon with the emotional range of a Nike commercial. The film's ads state that it's a movie that is unlike anything you have seen before. Unless you're unfamiliar with the Lego movies or haven't seen documentaries like the masterful Flee, then you'll never know that there are plenty of documentaries like Piece by Piece. The only difference is that they aren't made on a commercial level. Piece by Piece is an ad made for a famous figure that's devoid of the elements that make its subject a real human being, opting to make its protagonist about as rounded as a piece of plastic.
The documentary starts on a promising note. We begin with the Lego style while the camera follows Pharrell Williams in his home. We meet his wife and his youngest son. Actually, I don't even think we're introduced to all of his children. Even if they're grown, most of William's kids are missing from the picture who can give some more personal insight into their father. Going from the b-roll footage of Williams in his home, we cut to the interview where Pharrell is talking to the movie's director, Morgan Neville, telling him he wants his story to be told in Lego form. It's a pretty cool idea. The Legos are visually fantastic. The stop-motion animation style mixed with CGI impresses today as much as it did when the first Lego Movie came out in 2014. Except now it's in a documentary.
Everything Williams talks about is represented in charming animated form—sometimes a bit too charming. Almost every other statement or joke is followed by a slapstick gag. For instance, if someone talks about someone else having a beatbox, then the film would cut to a beatbox falling from the air next to our subject, possibly hitting them in the head for a quick laugh. When the beatbox turns on, the music comes to life with flying colors swirling throughout the screen. The animation style is made to bring the feeling of music to life. If you want to see music come alive, you can always take mushrooms or drop acid. I wouldn't recommend it, but it will make you see tunes the way Pharrell Williams does.
After we cut from the interview, the movie transitions to William's youth in Virginia Beach. Although growing up in the housing projects, Williams saw Virginia Beach as a creative haven for artists. Music is everywhere there. It's the place where Williams collaborated with artists like DJ Timbaland and Missy Elliott, among other prominent names. One noticeable artist is Chad Hugo, who, according to research, is no longer on speaking terms with Pharrell Williams. Yet he's a prominent part of this documentary. Was his interview filmed before they broke up? What lead to it? Why not include that in the story to add some dimension to our protagonist? Together, Hugo and Williams formed the group Neptune, collaborating on their first song with Teddy Riley, Markell Riley, and Aquil Davidson for Rump Shaker. Now I know where Dave Chapelle got "I just want to do a zoom zoom in your boom boom" from. Super Thug was William's first big breakthrough, putting him on the charts.
Piece by Piece is a movie more about the music than it is about the people behind the music. It's superficial storytelling made to inspire when, in reality, it bored me to exhaustion. The entire middle act of the movie is a snoozefest of other musicians feeding Pharrell Williams' ego. It's cool to see where Snoop Dog's Drop It Like It's Hot came from. But I don't need a good chunk of 40-50 minutes telling me about every hit Williams had. It's not until the third act we get songs that carry something of value. Songs like Happy are revealed to have a deeper meaning to Williams beyond their commercial purpose of making little kids dance. It's a song that chokes Williams up in the documentary. Happy makes PW think of all the people in his life, from friends to family, who supported him, making him who he is today. As annoyed as I am with that overplayed song, I'm glad it actually meant something to its creator.
An even stronger song is Alright, a reflection on the continued segregation and police brutality America faces. It's meant to encourage activism through peaceful means. The song came out in 2015, so Pharrell had no idea how much worse things were going to get by November of the next year. Everything will only be alright if people continue to fight for their freedom against oppression.
Piece by Piece is a big fat celebration of a man's life who's seen a level of success most people will likely never achieve. American culture has a dangerous message that has probably contributed to its continual downfall. In the documentary, Pharrell Williams reveals that he wasn't a very good student, focussing more on his music than his schoolwork. By honing his dreams rather than hitting the books, Williams was able to achieve the status of a superstar. It's similar to how Keanu Reeves dropped out of school to become an actor.
Their stories are encouraging making the viewer hope they can one day be like them. Well, America, I have some bad news. Not everyone makes it. Most of us lead lives that aren't satisfactory, where we're not allowed to be who we are inside. Yes, it is because some never discovered their potential. However, it's also because many never give up on their dreams, only to wind up dying poor, lonely, and forgotten. Is the movie trying to tell me that Pharrell Williams ignoring his schoolwork is a good thing? As a former teacher in a poor neighborhood, I can tell you a lot of students want to be rappers. If lucky, one of the thousands in my school will make it. And that's a massive if.
Of course, you should shoot for your dreams. In order to achieve those dreams you should obtain good grades because the fact of the matter is, it will help you obtain what you want in life. You can go to the schools that many at the top of the entertainment industry's food have come from. Look up any entertainer or director. 70% of the time, you'll discover they went to USC, UCLA, NYU, Columbia University, Northwestern University, University of Chicago, Cornell, Yale, Stanford, Princeton, Harvard, and other institutions that people with average intelligence like me will never get into. However, if you study hard enough, you have a better chance of doing what you love without needing a prestigious institution's degree.
Too many Americans are inspired to be famous based on stories of artists who got in because of being in the right place at the right time. Don't base your career on luck. You may be the next Pharrell Williams, but you have to embrace the reality that you're 99% likely not to get there. Be prepared so you can have a job with enough money to support a comfortable living. If more Americans were encouraged to be Lawyers or Doctors, and if teachers were paid more, students would choose to be educated instead of sticking their heads in the sand only to pull it out when the media strokes their delusions of grandeur. That's why Americans lean towards leaders who tell them what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear. The truth is painful, but it's better to learn it the easy way instead of being manipulated by documentaries like this one.
It's a shame Piece by Piece is so limiting. Morgan Neville made one of the best documentaries I've seen in a decade with Won't You Be My Neighbor. Even with a flick about Mr. Rogers, Neville was able to find some flaws in the man, making him an even more inspirational figure. Rogers had trouble accepting fellow cast member François S. Clemmons's homosexuality. But over time, he learned to love the gay community. It shows how even Mr. Rogers was open to change. Seeing him embrace it is heartwarming.
What do we know about Pharrell Williams in this documentary that says more than "he makes great music?" How has his relationship been strained with Chad Hugo? Where's his other children? What's his marriage like? Instead of watching a movie, Piece by Piece is a highly inventive piece of propoganda. That's my problem with biopic documentaries. They're more often about a product than a person. They're hilite reels of someone's work dominating any form of substance, robbing the audience from feeling anything.
