Review of Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (2010) by Liam P — 28 Jul 2011

SUMMING IT UP:

A straight-forward but completely engrossing documentary about the legendary comedian that reveals far greater depths than one might initially suspect. The film works because Rivers is willing to be as upfront and open as she can be, revealing the history behind her marriage and husband's death as well as her inherent desire to be constantly at play. It's the little moments that show the real human behind the facade. Her sincere sense of shock at being heckled is handled with as complex a range of emotions as one would imagine having watched her for the previous sixty minutes. The gamut from anger to fear to sincere regret shows a woman of complexity and the film wisely sticks to a fairly simple format to let her do the talking. It's pretty great.