This weekend is full of manly remakes with The A-Team [ATEAM] and The Karate Kid [KFKID]. There is one woman who is not intimidated by any of the testosterone filled offerings and plans to have her own debut at the box office. Joan Rivers is the subject of the documentary Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work [JRAPW] which won over audiences at the 2010 Sundance and Tribeca Film Festivals.
Many of the younger generation might dismiss Rivers as the gaudy, plastic curiosity seen on award show red carpets and QVC. But the documentary takes a fascinating look at the real woman behind that mask and her ground-breaking career as a female comedian. At age 76, Rivers is still moving with full steam accepting every possible opportunity that comes her way. She never turns down a gig and never shies away from delivering her feisty wit to anyone willing to listen. It is a raw look at a woman who has sacrificed much to stay on top of the game decades after her peers have dropped off. The film also addresses the one thing everyone knows about Rivers: her penchant for undergoing cosmetic surgery. The film reveals Rivers at her barest without any makeup. She also muses on the nature of aging that no matter how hard one tries, it’s a battle we all lose.
Joan Rivers: Piece of Work is best at showing the fearless woman who has managed to stay afloat in the male dominated world of comedy. It shows how she has taken every perceived weakness from growing old to being a woman and turned them into a formula for staying relevant in the world of entertainment. The documentary can best be appreciated for empowering women, especially those who are reaching an age no longer employable by Hollywood. In a world inhabited by questionable celebrities, Rivers stands as a testament to the fact that one still need brains, savvy and a fierce desire to succeed in Hollywood. Piece of Work dissects the inner struggles humans go through to stay confident. The film can speak to any member of the audience, even if you are not a 76-year-old female entertainer. Despite all her eccentricities and indulgences, you do come to love her for her perserverance.
Joan Rivers: Piece of Work features appearances by Kathy Griffin, Melissa Rivers and Don Rickles. Directed by Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg, the IFC Films documentary goes into limited release this weekend.
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