Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work is a 2010 documentary film about the life and career of comedian Joan Rivers, also featuring Melissa Rivers, Don Rickles and Kathy Griffin.

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRicki Stern
Anne Sundberg
Written byRicki Stern
Produced byRicki Stern
Anne Sundberg
Seth Keal
Starring
CinematographyCharles Miller
Edited byPenelope Falk
Music byPaul Brill
Production
company
Break Thru Films
Distributed byIFC Films
Release dates
  • January 25, 2010 (2010-01-25) (Sundance)
  • June 11, 2010 (2010-06-11) (United States)
Running time
85 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$2.9 million[1]

It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2010. It was released on June 11, 2010, by IFC Films. The film received positive reviews from critics.

Synopsis

The film follows Joan Rivers for 14 months, mostly during the 76th year of her life.[2] The film made an effort to "[peel] away the mask" and expose the "struggles, sacrifices and joy of living life as a ground breaking female performer."[3] The New York Times reported that Stern and Sundberg "lucked out" with their timing, starting to film the year before Rivers won Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice in 2008.[2]

Cast
All appearing as themselves

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2010.[4] Shortly after, IFC Films acquired distribution rights to the film.[5] It also screened at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 26, 2010,[6] and the San Francisco International Film Festival at the Castro Theatre on May 6, 2010.[7][8] It was released in a limited release on June 11, 2010.[9]

Box office

In its opening weekend, the film made $164,351 while playing at 7 theaters.[10]

Home media

On December 14, 2010, A Piece of Work was released on Region 1 DVD and Blu-ray, complete with the theatrical trailer, 10 deleted scenes, and TV spots.[11]

Critical reception

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work received positive reviews from film critics. It holds a 92% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 108 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.65/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Penetrating Rivers' coarse image, this compelling documentary offers an honest, behind-the-scenes look at her career -- and at show business in general."[12] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 79 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[13]

Awards

References
  1. Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work at Box Office Mojo
  2. "A Comic's Life and Times: Enter Talking or Mocking". The New York Times. June 10, 2010. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  3. "Joan Rivers - A Piece of Work". IFC Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 26, 2012. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  4. "2010 Sundance Film Festival Announces Films In Competition". Sundance Film Festival. December 2, 2009. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  5. Kiladay, Gregg (February 4, 2010). "IFC Films acquires 'Joan Rivers' doc". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  6. "Tribeca Talks: Joan Rivers--A Piece of Work". Tribeca. Archived from the original on August 27, 2012. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  7. "CU Arts". Cuarts.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  8. "JOAN RIVERS—A PIECE OF WORK". SFIFF. Archived from the original on April 28, 2012. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  9. Billington, Alex (May 23, 2010). "Indie Trailer Sunday: 'Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work' Doc Trailer". First Showing. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  10. "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (2010) - Financial Information". The-numbers.com. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  11. "Joan Rivers A Piece Of Work". Amazon.com. December 14, 2010. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  12. Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work at Rotten Tomatoes
  13. Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work at Metacritic
  14. "Sundance Institute". history.sundance.org. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
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