Public Speaking

Fran Lebowitz in a New York author and literary critic, whose acerbic writings have garnered a mass following since she first scribed an article for Andy Warhol's publication Interview magazine. During an interview with director Martin Scorsese and co-producer Graydon Carter at her table at the Waverly Inn, Lebowitz takes us through her life while offering her takes on and gripes with American culture. We are also shown stock footage of past interviews with the celebrated writers as well as an onstage Q&A with her friend and fellow celebrated author Toni Morrison. Lebowitz is a wonder to listen to, in what Scorsese describes as music in his promotion of the film, and it is know wonder why the great director would want to document her, as her intelligent and humorous ramblings are strikingly similar to his own. "Public Speaking" is a fascinating documentary, mainly because Fran Lebowitz speaks in a way that is virtually extinct today, that being smart, funny, and without regard to the accepted convention.