A little girl in kindergarten is innocently looking up to her teacher. She is given her kitty cat mask and begins to tie the strap, and as it gently tightens under her chin she knows.—this is it. She will do this for the rest of her life.
As young children we all dream of being astronauts, teachers, and famous athletes, though we know for sure; few actually did it, and even fewer did it on their own. Well Joan Rivers did, and after a hit screening at the Tribeca Film Festival, her story is coming to big screens with the new documentary “Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work.”
In the 1960s, Rivers was performing her stand up routine on the “Ed Sullivan Show,” when she was in her 30s. “I was pregnant on ‘Sullivan’ and couldn’t say I was pregnant—that’s insane!” says Rivers during our conversation in New York, in late May.
“Standing there eight months gone and saying, ‘Mr. Sullivan, soon your going to hear the pitter patter of feet.’ That’s what I had to say.” It would prove to be both a sign of the times as well as motivation for Rivers, who has become famous for speaking her mind throughout her career.
Her career has been defined by pushing the comedic envelope, leaving some put-off by her frank comments about the formerly quiet aspects of the female experience. For example, fellow comedic icon Jack Lemon even called some of her humor “disgusting,” and when show businesses managers explained to her that “women should not be talking about these things,” Joan fired back “this is exactly what we should be talking about.” When I asked her why, that lifelong instinct came to life with all the vitality one would expect from a zealous youngster, “I don’t know why. I knew he was wrong, I just knew he was wrong!”
Today Rivers hasn’t let up one bit. In fact she is still pushing the envelope. She can be gritty and sometimes even a bit vile. When reminded that she is edgy even by today’s standards, she proudly snaps back “your damn right!”
The new documentary reveals that where she may irk with belligerence, she balances with a disarming honesty. One doesn’t have to dissect a person who is that honest. What you see is what you get.
Despite her recent surge and many past triumphs in her career, the film carries a more somber tone that focuses mainly on the provocative clips from her stand-up and on the sad moments in her life. The general negativity was a stark contrast to meeting her.
Despite Rivers’s active life and 50 plus year career, the film is only 84 minutes. “A Piece of Work” is itself a “piece” of a possibly larger, more compelling, and stirring narrative. She is herself, the inner conflict of show business. How edgy is too edgy? How much plastic surgery is too much? What will you do to get on the screen?
From Ed Sullivan to Johnny Carson to the recent hype of Reality TV, Joan has been there and in some instances driven changes in the industry we call show business. Most importantly, her story is one of deep courage and conviction that takes the audience on a journey through the evolution of the entertainment industry.
Filmmakers Ricki Stern and Annie Sunberg from Break Through Productions focused on a specific goal: “We really wanted to make a film about a woman who is an aging performer in the world of comedy and theatre ... its a tight taught film, there is just not a lot of fat in it.”
The film starts 3 years ago when Rivers has virtually no work. She jokes about knocking out her own teeth to get a denture commercial. Over 14 months she re-invents herself with the help of reality television and fills that calendar back up. She is happier then ever because even at 76, when most people are happiest in retirement, Joan is happiest when she is performing. When I ask her why, she doesn’t miss a beat. “Because that’s what I am, I am a performer, I was meant to be a performer, I am a performer, I am still performing. How good is that! I love what I do.”
“Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work” comes to theaters on June 11 in New York and Los Angeles, June 18, for a wider release and June 25 for full release in 120 theaters nationwide. The DVD releases in December with many extras not included in the film.
As young children we all dream of being astronauts, teachers, and famous athletes, though we know for sure; few actually did it, and even fewer did it on their own. Well Joan Rivers did, and after a hit screening at the Tribeca Film Festival, her story is coming to big screens with the new documentary “Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work.”
In the 1960s, Rivers was performing her stand up routine on the “Ed Sullivan Show,” when she was in her 30s. “I was pregnant on ‘Sullivan’ and couldn’t say I was pregnant—that’s insane!” says Rivers during our conversation in New York, in late May.
“Standing there eight months gone and saying, ‘Mr. Sullivan, soon your going to hear the pitter patter of feet.’ That’s what I had to say.” It would prove to be both a sign of the times as well as motivation for Rivers, who has become famous for speaking her mind throughout her career.
Her career has been defined by pushing the comedic envelope, leaving some put-off by her frank comments about the formerly quiet aspects of the female experience. For example, fellow comedic icon Jack Lemon even called some of her humor “disgusting,” and when show businesses managers explained to her that “women should not be talking about these things,” Joan fired back “this is exactly what we should be talking about.” When I asked her why, that lifelong instinct came to life with all the vitality one would expect from a zealous youngster, “I don’t know why. I knew he was wrong, I just knew he was wrong!”
Today Rivers hasn’t let up one bit. In fact she is still pushing the envelope. She can be gritty and sometimes even a bit vile. When reminded that she is edgy even by today’s standards, she proudly snaps back “your damn right!”
The new documentary reveals that where she may irk with belligerence, she balances with a disarming honesty. One doesn’t have to dissect a person who is that honest. What you see is what you get.
Despite her recent surge and many past triumphs in her career, the film carries a more somber tone that focuses mainly on the provocative clips from her stand-up and on the sad moments in her life. The general negativity was a stark contrast to meeting her.
Despite Rivers’s active life and 50 plus year career, the film is only 84 minutes. “A Piece of Work” is itself a “piece” of a possibly larger, more compelling, and stirring narrative. She is herself, the inner conflict of show business. How edgy is too edgy? How much plastic surgery is too much? What will you do to get on the screen?
From Ed Sullivan to Johnny Carson to the recent hype of Reality TV, Joan has been there and in some instances driven changes in the industry we call show business. Most importantly, her story is one of deep courage and conviction that takes the audience on a journey through the evolution of the entertainment industry.
Filmmakers Ricki Stern and Annie Sunberg from Break Through Productions focused on a specific goal: “We really wanted to make a film about a woman who is an aging performer in the world of comedy and theatre ... its a tight taught film, there is just not a lot of fat in it.”
The film starts 3 years ago when Rivers has virtually no work. She jokes about knocking out her own teeth to get a denture commercial. Over 14 months she re-invents herself with the help of reality television and fills that calendar back up. She is happier then ever because even at 76, when most people are happiest in retirement, Joan is happiest when she is performing. When I ask her why, she doesn’t miss a beat. “Because that’s what I am, I am a performer, I was meant to be a performer, I am a performer, I am still performing. How good is that! I love what I do.”
“Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work” comes to theaters on June 11 in New York and Los Angeles, June 18, for a wider release and June 25 for full release in 120 theaters nationwide. The DVD releases in December with many extras not included in the film.
Friends Read Free