Coming to DVD next Tuesday, December 14: JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK
Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg’s candid portrait of the groundbreaking 75-year-old comedienne premiered at Sundance this year, where editor Penelope Falk picked up an award, and went on to be acquired by IFC Films for a very successful theatrical release this past Summer.
In no way the kind of puff piece that too-often easily results from celebrity documentaries, JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK appreciates the complexity of its subject. At the heart of the film is a look at what drives comedians like Rivers – the need to perform, the need to keep on working, long after most people her age would be content to sit back and enjoy their accomplishments. A funny, poignant, and subtle examination of aging and the need to continue to feel relevant, it goes beyond the surface plastic surgery and the easy punchline to reveal a fascinating performer.
what (not) to doc 