Review of Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (2010) by Steven C — 06 Apr 2012

I can honestly say I have never seen a documentary that probes this deeply into what stardom can do to a person. "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work" is a film that showcases a star at 75, dealing with her glorious past, her depressing present and her inevitablely uncertain future and looming death.

If this sounds like depressing stuff, it is. While I loved that Joan was willing to probe the depths of her career and personal life (though it seems like she was not totally privy to the director's intentions) it would have been nice if the film let her be funnier.

Joan is a very, very funny comedienne. Her comedy is still shaping the way women are perceived and it would have been nice if more of that was shown. It would have made the emotional aspects a bit easier to digest.

As it stands, "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work" is a fine example of what being an aging celebrity in American is like- just don't expect anything extremely entertaining.