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Forget Rodney Dangerfield—it's Phyllis Diller who gets no respect. At least, not as much as she deserves. Starting out in the mid-'50s, when women were rare in the smoky world of stand-up comedy, Diller managed to maintain a career near the top echelons for more than 40 years before deciding to retire (at least from stage performance) in May, 2002. A groundbreaker, she was the first woman to join the Friars' Club—after sneaking in dressed as a man—and this documentary reveals that wasn't an isolated incident. Diller lived her life with as many laughs as she provoked onstage, frequently pulling pranks for no other reason than it seemed like a good idea at the time (Ashton Kutcher, you really were born too young).
Goodnight focuses on her retirement show, and preparations leading up to it, showing her impressive work ethic, extensive joke archive, varied interests (classic cars, painting, cooking, bargain shopping) and lesser known talents (classical piano). We not only see inside her home and work environment, but also meet her real family members (distinctly different from those portrayed on stage) and roll call of "dustbiters" -Diller's affectionate name for all the various personal assistants that quit on her (but mostly remained friendly). Behind the scenes, Diller actually is widely respected by fellow funnypeople, as the myriad tributes here display (Don Rickles doesn't give her a break, which is perhaps the highest compliment of all). Virtually every modern comic, and certainly every current female comedienne, owes her a lot. The disc includes as extras Diller's entire final performance, unedited, as well as more "dustbiter" dishing.
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