Susan Granger’s review of “Joan Rivers – A Piece of Work” (IFC Films)
With unprecedented access and the iconic comedienne’s consent, independent filmmakers Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg spent 14 months with Joan Rivers during the 76th year of her life. “If I had invested wisely, I wouldn’t be doing this,” Rivers says, admitting she’s a driven person and a workaholic – with resentment and regrets.
“Let me show you fear,” Rivers goes on, indicating an empty date book. Admitting she’ll accept most gigs simply because she needs the money to maintain the ultra-luxurious Manhattan lifestyle to which she’s become accustomed (“where Marie Antoinette would live if she had the money”), Rivers flies off to Wisconsin and Minnesota to play to small crowds, peddles jewelry on QVC, considers doing an ad for penis enlargement pills and prepares for her upcoming appearance on Donald Trump’s reality competition, “Celebrity Apprentice,” which she went on to win. “Joan will turn nothing down,” her assistant concurs.
Born Joan Alexandra Molinsky, she was once best-known as Johnny Carson’s first (and only) guest-host on his NBC show – until he cut her dead after she accepted an offer to do a late-night talk show on the Fox network, which turned out to be a fiasco. Since then, Rivers has gone through truly tough times, particularly after the 1987 suicide of her husband, Edgar Rosenberg. Yet, with her daughter, Melissa, at her side, she’s soldiered on, displaying her need for attention/affection in often bizarre circumstances.
Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg (“The Devil Came on Horseback,” “The Trials of Darryl Hunt”) reveal Rivers’ inherent vulnerability and utter dependence on the approval of her booking agents, audiences and reviewers. Neither the filmmakers nor Rivers make any apologies for her desperation to hang on to whatever shreds of youthful vitality remain; she’s obviously sent several plastic surgeons’ kids through college.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Joan Rivers – A Piece of Work” is a reflective, insightful yet exhilarating 8. “I AM a performer,” Rivers concludes. “When I am on-stage, it is the only time I am truly happy.”
