Piece by Piece (2024) review

Ever-youthful musician/designer Pharrell Williams sits down with documentarian Neville and they discuss his life and career, and it's all depicted with Legos: he talks about his fascination with water, doing poorly at school but falling in love with music (and experiencing synesthesia), starting The Neptunes with childhood friend Chad Hugo, gaining experience working for Teddy Riley, having his beats used by others (Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani, Britney Spears, etc.) and achieving fame ... then having a crisis of confidence (because of "bad advice") before bouncing back with more hits.  There's no questioning Williams' abilities as a producer - here's a case of talent plus ambition equaling success - but this PG-rated biopic excises anything potentially controversial in order to appeal to children (its main audience) and leaves out some important details (as of Summer 2024, Pharrell and Hugo are no longer on speaking terms).  Many of the songs Williams has had a hand in crafting are clearly solid ("Get Lucky" with Daft Punk is a personal favorite), but it's not like he's the most emotionally complicated artist in the world to warrant a feature length film ... and yet if his story convinces at least one kid to pick up a snare drum or start tinkering with Ableton, that's a win.