Joan Rivers: A Piece Of Work On DVD: "Let Me Tell You What Comedy Is About!"

I've watched the clip several times now, and I remained more firmly convinced than ever that the year's most thrilling movie scene might be the moment in the documentary Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work when Rivers fearlessly shouts down an audience member who has loudly objected to a joke she's just told about Helen Keller. Even though the man has a deaf son, Rivers gets the audience on her side pretty much immediately (and pretty much instinctively)—oh, and along the way, delivers a great, impromptu speech on the social function of comedy and how nothing, nothing, is "out of bounds" as fodder for a joke.

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work is my "Hidden Gem" DVD recommendation this week for CBC Radio, and you can hear me talk about it (and hear the segment I'm talking about) by clicking here.