Show Piece

I have no particular enthusiasm or distaste for Joan Rivers. I'm certainly aware of her pioneering role for women in stand-up comedy, though I haven't really seen much of her stand-up. I'm not really sure who the target audience was for a documentary about her, but I at least suspect I wasn't it.

But last year's film, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, got some rather crazy critical praise. I mean, you rarely hear talk about documentaries at all, and I kept seeing blurbs about this one pop up on all kinds of entertainment web sites I check out regularly. Then it was released on DVD, and Netflix kicked it my way too. Alright, I decided, let's see what all the hubbub is about.

I wouldn't say the film is half as extraordinary as the buzz I'd been seeing. But there are several things about it to commend, and I think I can at least understand where some of the enthusiasm has been coming from.

Foremost, I'm not sure I've ever seen a more "warts and all" depiction of a living person in a documentary. The very first shot of the film is a ghoulishly tight close-up on the face of Joan Rivers, before her morning application of her signature makeup. And that nothing held back tone goes far more than skin deep, and lasts the entire film. You see every facet of her personality, see that she's a workaholic, shameless, and come to understand why.

I also found that I didn't really know as much about Joan Rivers' role in the history of comedy as I thought. The modern generation really only knows her as a red carpet gadfly, Celebrity Apprentice contestant, and plastic surgery punch line. I was aware -- but didn't really have much memory of -- her appearances and guest hosting gigs on Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show. But basically, when it comes to female stand-up comics, there was Phyllis Diller, and then her. Everyone else to follow did so in their footsteps. Joan Rivers blazed the trail where it was okay for a woman to be as vulgar (and make no mistake -- funny, not just vulgar for the sake of vulgarity). There are countless examples of male stand-ups in this mold, many mentioned in this documentary, and a sadly small number of women.

But while I found the movie very informative, I found it less entertaining. I was impressed but not moved, appreciative but not thrilled. The critics had almost made this movie out to be a "you'll laugh; you'll cry" affair, and that's only half right. Well, maybe more than half. It did make me think. But ultimately, it's not a catharsis, just a well-made biography. I rate it a B-.