Aarcflick

A Lego Movie hybrid musical, documentary, and biopic like "Piece by Piece" is a rich concept. Presumably, the exhilaration of "Happy," producer and musician Pharrell Williams' chart-topping hit, would make his life story a perfect fit for the animated medium. After all, Williams' playful, genre-bending music (which blends post-soul cool with skater sensibility) is probably more than a live-action narrative could contain. But in the hands of director Morgan Neville, his life story lacks specificity and substance. Neville relies on the kind of visual storytelling common to documentary filmmaking—its lifeblood—throughout "Piece by Piece." The opening, for example, borrows the aesthetic language of behind-the-scenes documentaries: a camera follows a Lego Pharrell (voicing himself) from behind as he enters his house.  Director: Morgan Neville Writers: Morgan Neville, Jason Zeldes, Aaron Wickenden Stars: Pharrell Williams, Morgan Neville, Kendrick Lamar ...