Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work

It's amazing that it took this long for a documentary on Joan Rivers to get made. Her life as an icon for almost 50 years certainly has a large wealth of history to explore, and her personality is well suited to a documentary following the legendary comedian. That's why it's amazing the route that Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work took when creating the penultimate documentary film on River's life. Instead of concentrating on her history, the film looks at her present. It's fitting really, as clearly shown throughout portions of the movie, whenever Joan Rivers is asked about her life as an influence to other comics or an inspiration to women, she also comes back with a sarcastic "Fuck You," referring to her viewpoint that her career is nowhere close to being over. And that's certainly true, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work shows how dedicated and constant Rivers is with her work schedule, and how she'll do anything to remain the staple that she became on the Johnny Carson show. The documentary follows Rivers as she works on television, stage, and screen, all the while masking her constant internal struggle with this never-ending desire to work. Rivers is clearly a complicated individual, she's gone through trauma and struggle that most celebrities, or even everyday people have to face. And it's clear through every scene how much she just wants to remain working in order to prove that nothing can bring her down. From a casino in Wisconsin, to a small theater in London, to the Kennedy Tribute for George Carlin, Joan shows the melding of her on-screen and off-screen persona. On stage she's angry, cynical, brash, and outspoken, but when she's off stage, he persona takes a more serious tone, and the first time you see her cry, it seems like decades of hardship come creeping to the surface, and for one single moment, she's human again.

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work is an amazing glimpse at the unfinished career of a Hollywood icon. People that simply know her from E!, or on awards nights may see her as a spotlight-hungry washed-up old woman, but if anything, this film proves the exact opposite. Her dedication to her craft is something that is unmatched in the comedy industry, along with her desire to be taken seriously as a person. Rivers pioneered the world of female comedians (A term she would despise), and this film at it's utmost simplicity shows that she's never stopped doing so. The film is a glimpse into the world of a person that many may only see from the surface, but Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, is a fantastic glimpse at the life of not only a famous celebrity, but a honest, open, sometimes angry, and hard-working human being.