Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work - 2010

Movie #173

4 stars

Documentarians Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg provide an uncompromising glimpse into the personal and professional life of comedian and red-carpet mainstay Joan Rivers, a woman clinging stubbornly and steadfastly to the pop-culture bandwagon.

Cast: Joan Rivers, Melissa Rivers, Larry A. Thompson, Bari Pearlman, Edgar Rosenberg, Kathy Griffin, Don Rickles

Directors:  Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg



 I didn't really know a lot about Joan Rivers before the movie and I guess I still don't.  I did learn this, she is a workaholic that should be taken more seriously.  No seriously, no one has the right to rag on her without watching this documentary.  She is a very funny comedian who deserves more respect.  This is more to her than just the red carpet.

As far as the documentary goes, it is entertaning.  Which is sometimes a hard feat for documentaries.  On the other hand, it wasn't entertaining because of the approach that the directors took, it was entertaining because of Joan Rivers herself.  So I guess if you are interested in making successful documentaries, don't use this one as a model.

Joan Rivers is hilarious.  But what makes her even more hilarious is the fact that it is natural, no one writes her jokes.  Combined with her perfect timing, her writing abilities are remarkable.  She even addresses this subject when she is at an event with a bunch of comedians.  She says that she did an ok job, not great but everyone else has writers on their staff.

The one downside of this documentary is that it doesn't really address Joan Rivers' personal life.  The viewer doesn't get any insight into her marriage with Edgar Rosenberg.  It is probably because she doesn't want to discuss such a touchy subject.  She did however go into how her and Melissa dealt with it.

I began this review praising her but i'll end it being skeptical of Joan Rivers for the very same reason.  She is 75 years old, and she doesn't give any indication of giving up showbiz, which left me with a depressed feeling.  In 90 minutes I got to know Joan, laugh with her, but I also started to feel sorry for her.

Overall Recommendation:  If you have any interest in Joan Rivers then see this.  And by all means, don't hate on her until you have seen it.

The Queen and I - 2008

Movie #132

4.5 stars

Nahid Persson Sarvestani's thought-provoking documentary about her friendship with Queen Farah, the wife of the Shah of Iran, demonstrates how even those at most odds -- politically, idealistically -- can find middle ground and understanding. The royal answers questions about her husband's repressive principles, and the conversation becomes political and highly personal. Included with the film is a short called Liberation.

Cast: Empress Farah, Zinat S. Lloyd, Nahid Persson Sarvestani

Director: Nahid Persson Sarvestani





I will start with my dislike since there is only one: when Nahid would narrate, you could tell that she was reading. It was so obvious...obvious enough for it to be distracting.

Likes: I thought it was very objective...or as objective as it could have been given the fact that Nahid had spent a good part of her young adult life totally against her - supporting the overthrow of the shah.

If Farah (or her majesty as she liked to be called...even by her friend) wasn't as crazy as she was it may have not been as easy to get through. It is evident that she still views herself as the Empress by the way she carries herself in public.




















Even though Farah was a little full of herself it was nice to see her good natured side (despite the so called rumors about what happened to Iranians that were against the shah). One scene shows her reading "fan letters." One boy had wrote that he wanted an iPod. At first her response was that she can't give everyone everything that they want...but then she went on to say that she had bought a new iPod and she could give him her old one. On top of that gesture she called a man who had wrote to her. When he answered the phone, Farah introduced herself as the person you wrote the letter to....I guess for security reasons. But she wished his family well during a brief conversation. After she hung up, she said he probably wasn't expecting a phone call. Now who knows if she was just playing nice for the camera or if that's what she's really like.

The craziest thing about the documentary, in my eyes, is how every year, on the anniversary of the shah's death, a whole hell of a lot of people go to Egypt where the shah is buried. One lady even travels from Texas...every year.

It was sad when they talked about Farah's daughter Leila. She was 9 years old when the shah was forced into exile. She started modeling but suffered from anorexia and severe depression. In June of 2001 she was found in a London hotel. She had taken 5 times the lethal dose of sleeping pills. She normally took 40 pills...not the prescribed two. crazzzy.

Overall, this was a very interesting documentary. It was kinda weird to see the filmmaker featured so much. But in a way, that was the whole point of the documentary...these two women coming together to discuss their homeland. Both women were forced to leave but their thoughts about the rule of Iran was totally different. The only reason I am not giving this 5 stars is because I don't think I would watch it again.