What A Piece of Work is Joan

You've probably been aware of Joan Rivers as long as you can remember. She's been prominently in the public eye since the 1960s. Stage, stand-up, TV stints running the gamut from The Tonight Show guest host to red carpet emcee, game show participant and hawker of wares on QVC.

Some find her too brash and the no-holds-barred comments tough to take. But she takes them as much as she dishes 'em out, and has taken a whole lot more: After being embraced and mentored by Johnny Carson, he froze her out when she dared to get her own show; her husband Edgar's suicide; and a career that makes the Cyclone on Coney Island look like a kiddie ride.  

And perhaps no one is more of a poster child for plastic surgery jokes (with the exception of Jocelyn Wildenstein) than Ms. Rivers.

All this is covered and chronicled in the new documentary film Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, which I settled in to see the other night at the 92YTribeca. The film, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January (to accolades), opens in theaters on June 11.

The film spans a year with the, um, actress/comedienne/beauty maven/hostess/ outsize personality (what does one call her? A single label doesn't fit) — "it peels away the mask of an iconic comedian, laying bare both the struggle and thrill of living life as a groundbreaking female performer," according to the 92YTribeca blurb (italics mine). OK, so that's what one calls her.

It could be termed a comeback story, but really it's more of a keep on keepin' on story. And that's I think the crux of her appeal in her 76th year — her birthday is on June 8. When I was leaving the theater, I overheard two women, probably 10-15 years her junior, discussing the film: "I like her," said one, sounding surprised. "I just love her, always have," said the other.

To underscore this and other pertinent aspects, Jonathan Van Meter's poignant and pointed profile of Ms. Rivers in New York magazine is a wellspring of gems:

"People who have seen the film come up to me and say, 'I never liked you until now.' TV interviewers say, right in front of me, 'Even if you have always hated Joan Rivers … you are going to love her and be mesmerized by this film.' They spit right in my face and then spend the next ten minutes wiping it dry." That is when she shows me the pillow she has embroidered that sits on a leather couch in her study: DON'T EXPECT PRAISE WITHOUT ENVY UNTIL YOU ARE DEAD."

I have to admit I was slow to appreciate her irreverent approach. But I think that's one of the main reasons for her appeal now. We've all been through a lot since we grew up with her, and we see the value and difficulty of "keeping on."

And let's not forget the beauty advice she brings to the table. Also from Van Meter's article, which my friend Rachel perfectly described as "strangely moving":

The Joan Rivers diet: You can eat anything you want before 3 p.m. and then nothing for the rest of the day. When she goes out to dinner, she puts a small pile of Altoids on the table next to her plate, which she eats one after another while barely touching her food."

Her book, Men Are Stupid… And They Like Big Boobs, lives up to its baldly honest title, dispensing plastic surgery advice, and insights into her perspective on beauty. She covers the gamut, from how much each injection and operation costs to vaginal rejuvenation (there are jokes about that in the film, as well as a recent visit to her derm, Dr. Patricia Wexler, post multiple injections, which looks painful).

Her beauty products, like covering up thinning hair, directly address issues of aging. I myself am looking forward to trying her Right to Bare Legs product.

Finally, in a comment about the film to Van Meter, Rivers pauses before saying, "They forgot to show that I actually enjoy my life."

Ahh, there's the crux again: Maybe it just doesn't matter what you look like or what others think of you as long as you keep going, with gusto. Joan Rivers does do that.