My wife took me to see Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work at IFC in Manhattan. We both enjoyed it enormously and declared that Joan Rivers is our new hero!

I know it sounds silly, but for some reason I had no idea who Joan Rivers was. I always thought she was Joan Collins, and the only thing I knew about Joan Collins was that line in Hannah and her Sisters “Then she got drunker and drunker, and finally she became Joan Collins!“ I guess I also knew she had a talk show in the 80s because I saw a Frank Zappa interview with her on YouTube. Finding out that she is actually this rather lovable old crank who lives her life with such passion and dedication was a very enjoyable experience.

Joan Rivers is irreverent, and funny as hell. She just does not give a shit what people think. I love that she curses like a sailor! And she works HARD on her career. I was raised in a family that taught that successful people were just born that way – if you picked up a paintbrush for the first time and failed to produce a Renoir, well, guess you should try something else. Watching Joan Rivers navigate a year of her life, you realize how much persistence and unglamorous grunt work is involved in success, as well as dumb fucking luck, and a really thick skin! It’s very inspirational.

As for her plastic surgery, I was really moved by the scene where she subjects herself to the Comedy Central Roast for the money, and then you see this parade of completely unfunny comic digs at her looks. It actually made me understand a little better this abuse of plastic surgery we see among entertainers. As Joan says in the film, it’s a youth society, and if you are old they don’t want you, period. Joan’s approach to aging – her refusal to accept society’s unwritten rule that old people are completely irrelevant and should disappear and stay that way – moved me a lot. Joan is still trying to be number one at age 75, and it really irritates people. She’s not doing what she’s supposed to be doing. I love it!

I should also add that it is a really well-made documentary. The film is beautifully shot. The pacing is outstanding. They give just enough time to the old footage (an aspect of documentaries that is easily over-done) and they build in all the background information and introduce characters smoothly and skillfully. The music is really well-chosen. Really, there is no weak link in this film.

My wife and I both came away from this film with a palpable buzz, and we both agree that it will be added to our collection as soon as it is out on DVD. It’s the kind of film you would want to revisit. I highly recommend it!