Review of Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (2010) by Txrangersfan72 — 16 Sep 2011
As a person who has never been a Joan Rivers fan, much less a Joan-and-Melissa Rivers fan, this documentary of a year in the life of the most irritating comedienne on the planet is surprisingly, uhm, UN-irritating.
Joan is the most human I've ever seen her and, like the movie Comedian by Jerry Seinfeld showed, the makeup of a comedian is rooted in insecurity and a sad, self-loathing existence that they feel trapped in.
I'd never related why we saw George Burns, Sid Caesar, Milton Berle, etc. continuing to publicly perform their comedy until near-death. We still see it in people like Don Rickles and, as is painfully displayed here, Joan Rivers.
On one hand, the viewer has to admire her raw talent and endless drive, but on the other hand, one wants to just hug her and say, "uhm...go retire. Go do something you've always wanted to do." That's just it, though.
She IS what she's created. And that IS what she wants to do, even as each year looks sadder and sadder. She owns her existence, though, and while even aware of its flaws, she continues to power through.
If you've seen her honest dialogue with Louie this past season and was moved by the honesty of it, this documentary will blow you away.
This review of Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (2010) was written by Txrangersfan72 on 16 Sep 2011.
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work has generally received very positive reviews.
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