Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (2010)

A documentary on the life and career of Joan Rivers, made as the comedienne turns 75 years old.

Directors:

Ricki Stern, Anne Sundberg

Writer:

Ricki Stern

Stars:

Joan Rivers, Patrick Alparone, Kathy Griffin

3 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Joan Rivers	...	Herself
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Patrick Alparone	...	Himself
George Carlin	...	Himself (archive footage)
Johnny Carson	...	Himself (archive footage)
Edgar Cooper Endicott	...	Himself
Phyllis Diller	...	Herself (archive footage)
Annie Duke	...	Herself (archive footage)
Flo Fox	...	Herself
Kathy Griffin	...	Herself
Florian Klein	...	Himself
Emily Kosloski	...	Herself
Mark Anderson Phillips	...	Himself (as Mark Phillips)
Jocelyn Pickett	...	Herself
Don Rickles	...	Himself
Melissa Rivers	...	Herself

Storyline

This documentary follows one year in the life of Joan Rivers, who sees herself first and foremost as an actress, with her life as a comedienne/writer just an extension of being an actress. Now at age 75, Rivers has faced her ups and downs in her forty plus year career, the year leading up to filming being a down compared to what she would have wanted, which is a calendar full of engagements with several engagements each day. That want is in part to support her opulent personal lifestyle, but is more a need to bolster her own sense of self-worth as a basically insecure person who is probably best known now for her overuse of cosmetic surgery rather than her professional work. She feels that Kathy Griffin, who she admires, is now getting all the engagements she would have gotten in her prime. During this year, Rivers is seen going from engagement to engagement, some big - such as a Kennedy Center Honors for George Carlin, a double bill with Don Rickles in New York, and her own celebrity...

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Plot Keywords:

actress | comedienne | nbc | rehearsal | critic | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and sexual humor

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 January 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

O Trabalho de Joan Rivers

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$164,351 (USA) (11 June 2010)

Gross:

$2,927,972 (USA) (10 September 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Break Thru Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Features Comedy Central Roast of Joan Rivers (2009)

User Reviews

A very complex individual

The problem I usually have with documentaries is that, while I find them enlightening, I rarely connect to them on an emotional level. My intellect is stimulated, but I don't usually feel anything. The last documentary that made me feel anything was "Sicko." "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work" succeeds in the same way. Here's a woman who is a bit of a joke and an easy Hollywood punching bag. But she shows herself to be quite a complex individual. She's of course funny and a workaholic. She's also quite vulnerable and doesn't take criticism well at all. At times, she's quite likable and very sympathetic. Other times, she seems twisted and self-absorbed. I suppose the real Rivers is a little of both. She's also a joy to spend 90 minutes in a theater with, should the opportunity present itself to you.

The film opens with a shot that tells you everything you need to know about this film and its intentions. The shot is an extreme close-up of Rivers without any makeup on. For someone so presumably consumed with her looks, this is a surprising image that tells you this film is going to show you the real Rivers. Like her or not (and many won't), this is her.

The rest of the film is loosely broken up into three sections. The first introduces us to the woman and follows Rivers as she develops an autobiographical play and performs it in the UK. The second follows her during her time on "The Celebrity Apprentice." And the final one shows her on the road across America doing comedy shows. Interspersed with these segments are sidebars about Rivers' past—her marriage, her time with Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show," her relationship with her daughter Melissa, and her annual Thanksgiving charity work.

The two biggest things I took away from the film are that Rivers is obsessive (desperate?) about working and that she is incredibly insecure—perhaps the two complement each other. At one point, she is trying to book a commercial. She tells the ad agency's representative that she'll wear diapers, anything, to land a gig. After seeing this film, I believe she would. She's also incredibly self-doubting. When her play opens in London to good, not great, reviews, she immediately decides it won't see the light of day in New York. She says she wouldn't be able to bear the criticism. And when she agrees to do a Comedy Central roast—well, let's just say, it's not pretty.

One of the most enlightening, and in some ways off-putting, scenes in the film is when she gets heckled at a show in rural Wisconsin. Rivers makes a joke about hating kids but thinking Helen Keller would be tolerable, and a man yells that he thinks she isn't funny, but mean-spirited. Rivers lays into him. She doesn't hold back at all, and while I hold the belief that comedians should be able to defend themselves as they see fit against hecklers, her expletive-laden tirade crossed a few lines. What was so telling about this scene, though, was just how insecure Rivers is. When one man, a nobody in her life, criticizes her, she viciously lashes out.

I really did find this film fascinating for just how complicated it made its star seem. In addition to that, it's also quite funny. Rivers hasn't lost much in 75 years. I'd argue that her best bits are the more recent ones. Most documentaries are intellectual exercises, but not this one. It felt refreshing—not at all like sitting through a lecture. I wasn't a fan of Rivers before. I'm not sure I'm a fan of Rivers now. But a can definitely say I'm a fan of "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work," and I would recommend it to just about anyone.