I saw the new Joan Rivers documentary Monday evening.
I never liked Joan Rivers much, but the documentary is excellent!
I think I never liked Joan Rivers much because her humor is primarily aimed at women. Nothing wrong with that, of course, unless you aren't a woman. Plus, her humor is often breathtakingly crude.
Nevertheless, as all real successes are in show business, she is a zealous entertainer and an obsessive workaholic. Nothing makes her sadder, and brings out her sunglasses faster, than a bright, white, glaringly-empty appointments book. The documentary explores the period just before, and just after, her recent success on Donald Trump's "Celebrity Apprentice" on NBC, when her appointments book went from white to dark.
In the documentary, she shows off her extensive card catalog filled with jokes. Jokes after jokes after jokes! The documentary shows plenty of clips of her performances on the Tonight Show, in the years when she was struggling upwards. Some of the stars she shared the stage with are still around - Don Rickles, for example - but the number is dwindling fast.
The overall impression of Joan Rivers is of someone who never, ever gives up. She's absolutely relentless. And whether you laugh at her jokes, or not, there is much to admire in her ferocious determination!
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