Documentary looks at life of Joan Rivers

Movie: "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work"

When: Opening Friday at Village Square

Cast: Joan Rivers, Melissa Rivers, Don Rickles, Kathy Griffin

Directors: Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg

The story: A documentary look at an eventful year in the life of Joan Rivers, who at 75 goes to Britain for an autobiographical stage piece, competes on NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice" -- and hits the road, from Toronto to Palm Springs to Minneapolis, for every stand-up gig she can get.

The buzz: Can we talk? Everybody has been talking about this documentary since its January debut at the Sundance film festival. It presents the human side of a comedian who has become a human punch line for everything from her plastic surgery to her showbiz setbacks (banishment from NBC after she left as Johnny Carson's permanent "Tonight Show" substitute, the failure of her own Fox talk show) to personal heartbreak (husband Edgar's suicide).