Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (2010)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Perfect cast and a good story

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Definitely worth watching if you like Joan Rivers. I think that Joan Rivers is a great comedienne for today. Joan has always pushed the envelope throughout her life. Her humor is as risqué as ever today – as you have probably seen on Fashion Police. The thing about Joan is that she has courage. She is at the edge of what is acceptable in the same way as Chris Rock used to push the edge of comedy. But Joan doesn't hold back for anyone. But Joan has a soft side. This movie takes you behind the stage performance to the real Joan. She looks after her staff who are loyal to her. She once said "I just want to be loved". She is astute and acerbic. She has no barriers, especially on herself. She knows that she sends herself up worse than anyone else. And ladies and gentlemen, that is Joan. She is sensitive. She is a lovely person. She works hard. And she will dish is out even worse to herself than she will to anyone else.

Joan has always been my favorite female comic. I met her in the 60's,and again in the early 70's. She was performing in L.A., and my good friend, and now retired VP of Sasson, "at one time did her hair", had got us tickets at the "Little Club", where we were able to see her hone her craft. She is tired of being called a ground breaking female comic, as she mentioned, but she is that and more. I think she is more afraid of life, than death. She really shouldn't have to work as hard as she does, even though she loves it. She took a bad shot with her ex, who stepped in sxxx, when he met her. Bernie Madoff could have managed her money better. But she is a class act, a pro of the highest degree, born to do what she does. We are blessed to still have her around, and for my 2 cents, I hope she stays healthy and is around forever. She is like the Sinatra of what she does. Watch the film.

I was surprised of the movie not being recognized by the Academy of Documentary. I guess they don't want anything to do with Joan Rivers, and that's the whole point of the documentary. The doc started out with Joan Rivers' lowpoint of her career (when she's already 70 years old), and it progresses with Rivers working her way up again. The film demonstrates how the once comedic icon and well known star turned into "a piece of work". With her comedic talents blending with her sad emotions, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work is a snub that the Academy missed out on. OscarBuzz: NONE, that's the point! The Academy is missing out a a great film that shows the love for Joan Rivers and her career. She may be the one 70 year-old that still loves and wants to do her job.

Joan Rivers has done a great deal of good for many female comedians. And what this doc shows is that more than anything, she has an iron will. At 75, she is still on the road and on the stage, and hopes to be for another twenty-five years. All very inspiring. But so what? The documentary itself doesn't go anywhere. We start admiring Rivers for her tenacity, and that's all we end up with. Worse, given her 30-40 year history on stage, there are only a few clips of the past. Most of the doc is Joan talking about herself and her will. We see some very sad clips of her terrified looking daughter, Melissa, and the movie barely touches down on the most interesting fact in the Rivers career--the fact that when her husband failed at producing her talk show, he killed himself. How can you make something like that seem like a footnote? This whole thing could have been a five-minute video set to Donna Summer's I Will Survive, and been a lot more fun. Because oddly, that was the one thing this doc totally missed--fun.