Joan Rivers: A Piece Of Work [Review]

I Never Thought I'd Watch A Documentary Centered Around Joan Rivers. I Also Never Knew How Joan Looked Without Makeup.

I don't know if there are a lot of people out there who are indifferent to Joan Rivers. From the two person litmus test I conducted there are people who love her and people who abhor her shtick. I'm not the biggest fan of Joan Rivers, but I am a huge fan of stand-up and I respect the doors she's helped kick down for comediennes and joke tellers of any gender. Joan Rivers: A Piece Of Work isn't going to give you all the answers about the roasting legend and plastic surgery addict. What the movie lacks in meticulous detail it excels in showing the many, many faces of Joan Rivers. 

A Piece Of Work as a documentary is centered around the last few tumultuous years of Joan Rivers' life. Though the public is more than familiar with Rivers' bedside manner when it comes to her treatment of red carpet celebrities, and more so, their fashion faux pas. On the surface we see layers of Botox and silicon injected tough skin, but the documentary shows the cruel backlash that affects most women when they reach an age that would command respect had she been a man. It is interesting to see the lavish living rooms and designer 'everythings' Joan Rivers has acquired in her 50-plus years in show business, coupled with her willingness to do anything to stay working and in the lime light.

One Of The Few Truly Touching Scenes Where Rivers Makes A Tough Decision About Her Play.

As heartfelt as A Piece Of Work is, the meat of the documentary lies in the relationships Joan had with her now deceased husband, her daughter and her estranged manager. Decades of stories and humor are glossed over in the span of about twenty minutes in order to expound upon Joan Rivers' struggles with getting her play, "Joan Rivers: A Work In Progress", off the ground in the U.K. What is most surprising about A Piece Of Work is how much it focuses on Joan Rivers, the actress. Not that she's been in a wide catalog of movies, but when her career initially begin she had the look and training of a theater-ready actress.

The sad clown theory that most comedians have holds true with Rivers. Joan's daughter, Melissa, acknowledges the most telling point of A Piece Of Work, saying something to the tune of the act of doing stand-up is an activity rife with a want or need with being laughed at. I, and maybe a lot of indifferent Joan Rivers followers, were amazed at how apathetic a light the documentary framed the comedy veteran. Joan Rivers is 75 years old as of the filming of the documentary and should be on her way to a gold-lined retirement home. It seems no one told her that.

The Documentary Paints The Beggining Of Rivers' Career As Revolutionary Yet Troubled. It Would Have Helped To Have More Background On Those Moments.

Joan Rivers: A Piece Work isn't going to change your mind on Joan Rivers. She still comes off crass, tasteless and just down right bitter. In that sense, as a documentary, A Piece Of Work is really worth watching. Unfortunately, as a documentary, there seems to be a 'get to the next event' style of editing adopted for this film. River's early life is merely a setup to how she met her husband. The tragic death of her husband isn't connected to much instead of a hauntingly creepy movie Joan and Melissa did as a means to coping. The Apprentice serves as Rivers' return back to being back in the public spotlight -- a spotlight that could ultimately cause her more harm than good. Something tells me after all the hardships this documentary depicts Joan Rivers to have experienced, she'll be fine as long as we are all laughing.

I Give Joan Rivers: A Piece Of Work

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