Behind the Candelabra

The movie is uninspired. Structurally it's solid but from a story telling point of view it's bland. It's so thin that I spent most of my time wondering how far Douglas and Damon were willing to go on the gay thing. It seemed more like they wanted to simply add 'a gay character' to their CV's - neither of them was particularly convincing, nor interesting. Soderbergh might be more the blame though. He knows how to storyboard and block but he hasn't a clue how to empathize with characters and plot. However, Rob Lowe breaks away from everyone. He gives an inspired performance - it's sinister and funny - but it's too short to save the movie. Don't bother with this one, it's not worth the two hour run time. If you want to see an actor imitate a star watch My Week with Marilyn, close your eyes and listen to Branagh imitate Olivier, it's remarkable. Then go back and watch Douglas stumble around Liberace - just for the laugh.

So what if it is a gay movie and was shown on HBO before the theaters? Steven Soderbergh, I salute you for having moxie to show the world what to make films about. Matt Damon is so enchanting as Scott Thorson, I should admit, he is the star and not Michael Douglas, of this lovely movie. You probably know the story but here... the screenplay will amuse you, the music will enthrall your ears, the performances will enrapture your mind, the ideologies will ravish your mindset and the glitterati will dumbfound you to heavens. The intensity of gayness is very strong and that is what makes this a wonderful watch because it doesn't hesitate to decipher. I can't figure out the hate involved with multiplex owners not allowing it to be showcased? Too bad. Or did I hear a rumor? All the shining wardrobes, the lights, the piano melodies... and what- not... there is so much than meets the eye. I truly relished it because it is genuine and full of life. You may even learn a lesson or two. The pleasure of clearly watching the down & fall of characters is rife. 8.2/10. BOTTOM LINE: Shun the negation, go & dissolve yourself into the world of Liberace & Scott & their exploits. Can be watched with a typical Indian family? NO Profanity: Strong | Vulgarity: Critical | Porn: Critical | Sex: Strong | Nudity: Mediocre | Foreplay/Mouth-Kiss: Very Strong | Violence: No | Gore: Very Mild | Alcohol: Strong | Smoking: Mild | Drugs: Mediocre

A true story doesn't always equal success and this umpteenth biopic that is Behind The Candelabra proves it once again. If you put aside the extravagant aspect of Liberace and the huge age difference between him and Scott who was only 17 (!) when they met — an important detail that almost goes unnoticed —, what remains is an almost banal love story, with its ups and downs, struggling to convince. The viewer ends up enduring laborious scenes, sometimes very linear, often little constructive, and of more than debatable interest. One could also question the veracity and partiality of the story given that the script is based on the memoirs of Scott Thorson. Anyway, Steven Soderbergh can be thankful to the cast in general and Michael Douglas in particular for their very good performances, because if it wasn't for them, the movie would be a flop.

I remember watching Liberace on television when I was very young. Even at that tender age I knew something was odd about him, but he was perhaps one of the greatest showmen of all time and seemed to thoroughly enjoy performing for people. WARNING! Spoilers throughout! But this movie doesn't show any of that. Since it's written from Scott Thorson's POV the movie doesn't concern itself much with Liberace's life as much as Scott's life with him, which occurred long after Liberace became famous. Frankly, I thought the movie could have been about any two gay men's relationship; that Liberace was one of those men was coincidental and a very small part of the story. I found the storyline to be very confusing. Thorson is shown in a gay bar and he meets Scott Bakula's character and in the next scene they're driving off together like they've known each other for a long time. We aren't told who this character is. I assume he works for and is a procurer for Liberace, but I have no idea how he came to be in that position or what his ties to Liberace were or how long he's been doing this. For all Thorson's protests that he's bisexual and likes women too, we never see him with any women at all. He doesn't like to watch gay * because he thinks it's disgusting and wouldn't want anything like that done to him, yet he has no qualms about doing it to someone else. Huh? When Liberace's mother -- played by Debbie Reynolds, who is completely unrecognizable and I had to watch the movie twice to make sure it was really her -- he shouts, "I'm finally free!" but we, the viewers, have no idea why he felt so trapped by her. The palimony case went by too quickly. When Liberace dies and the state forces an autopsy, the results are revealed and then that's it, they don't show anything about the public's reaction to the news the way they did with the Rock Hudson gay revelation. What really bothered me about the movie was the part when Liberace is on his death bed and Thorson visits him. Liberace begs him, "Please don't tell anyone I looked like this," and Scott promises he won't, yet there it is. Did he tell in his book how Liberace looked? I don't know, but he allowed it to be shown in the film. He broke his promise to a dying man, a man he professed to love deeply. There's no excuse for that. Michael Douglas was phenomenal in his portrayal and literally became Liberace for me. I'm not a big fan of Matt Damon and I don't have anything to judge his performance by because I don't know anything about Scott Thorson, but he seemed comfortable playing the part. Dan Akroyd's part could've been played by anyone because it was small; maybe he just wanted to be in the movie. Rob Lowe's performance was, shall I say, a bit over-the-top, and once again I don't know if the real person was like that, but I can't imagine someone like that not being stripped of his medical license a long time ago. If writing his book was a catharsis for Scott Thorson I don't know, but as a movie on its own merits, it was unnecessary. It bordered on soft gay * at times, it couldn't decide whether it was supposed to be a tribute to Liberace or a "queenie dearest" kind of story, and I really can't say I liked it.

Michael Douglas looks and sounds absolutely nothing like Liberace, not to mention that he is too thin for the role. In any case he is too old for the part as he was actually older at the time of filming than Liberace was when he died. However far worse is the ridiculous miscasting of a 42-year-old Matt Damon as his teenage lover! Damon cannot pass for any younger than mid-30s so it doesn't make sense that he is still supposed to be living with his foster parents in the film. They should have cast an actor in his mid-20s and then it might have been believable. Scott was only 23 when his relationship with Liberace ended, yet they cast an actor two decades older which doesn't make any sense and completely changes the dynamics of the relationship. The whole production is tacky and low-budget. I'm amazed this got a cinema release in the UK, it should have been shown on television like in the US. 0/10.

Congrats to HBO for having the guts to produce a script which mainstream studios refused to consider. "Behind The Candelabra" gives us a story about Liberace's personal life, from the POV of his one time lover, "blond Adonis" Scott Thorson. The plot spans some ten years, from 1977 to Liberace's death in 1987. Aside from his public persona, Liberace (Michael Douglas) comes across as egotistical, daring, self-absorbed, and to some extent old-fashioned in his values and beliefs. Scott Thorson (Matt Damon) comes across as passive, a tad lazy, and lacking in foresight and intellect. The plot's first half presents us with a love story. In the second half, reality sets in. One gets the feeling that though there may have been love between the two, Scott is just one more object for Liberace to collect, which was easy for him given his wealth. That kind of material relationship speaks poorly of both men. This film has a big cast, and some well-known names. Rob Lowe is terrific as a humorously bizarre plastic surgeon. Debbie Reynolds, as Lee's elderly mother, is so good that she is unrecognizable. Nearly all of the actors give fine performances. Michael Douglas especially deserves credit given that Liberace's mannerisms and image are so well known. Lavish custom costumes, detailed and elaborate production design, tons of subtle and not-so-subtle makeup all combine to add enormously to the story's credibility, as does the cinematography. Interior lighting makes Liberace's on-stage performances come alive. Music is, not unexpectedly, what Liberace liked, to some extent stuffy and old-fashioned. I was never a Liberace fan. But he was a much-beloved entertainer and talented pianist, who had a long show business career. That the Hollywood studios turned this script down tells us a great deal about Hollywood. The real hero in this film is not a character so much as it is HBO. Maybe there is hope that quality films can still be made, despite cowardly industry insiders.

It's starting to look like 2013 is Soderbergh's year. Side Effects and Behind The Candelabra seem to be my favourite of his career so far, though that's only relatively, as I'm not a big fan of him. I do have Out Of Sight on my to see list coming up soon and I do need to give Traffic another watch before I make any final assessment on him. Although Soderbergh is frequently the director, cinematography and editor on his projects, he may be efficient but he's far too clinical, pushing the audience as an observer that it's difficult to feel emotionally involved in his films. I can't get excited for his half-baked premises that most likely haven't been fulfilled to their potential. However, Behind The Candelabra may be the first film I've seen of his that suits his style ideally. His style is still distant and voyeuristic, but in this bizarre world where Liberace adopts his lover for a son and pays for plastic surgery to make him look like himself, it feels more deliberate to keep us at a distance. Instead, the scenes of dramatic conflict, decision and choice are played off for jokes and it's really effective, always earning belly laughs with its brilliant one-liners without feeling like it's silly. Perhaps its nervous laughter but it makes for an entertaining and interesting film. Michael Douglas is terrific as Liberace. I've never seen him take a character on like this. He's nearly up there with Sean Penn's Milk. It feels like it's been a while since Matt Damon has been in films I've wanted to watch and with this and Elysium, I've forgotten how reliable a lead he is. The characters inhabit a flashy world, but its kept on the costumes and sets which are incidental more than anything and the style of the film is kept subtle, besides a great choice of swooping cameras. It does have its flaws with nearly soap opera-esque structure and conflict but my expectations were very low so this is a pleasant surprise. I think I even prefer it to Side Effects. 7/10

This is truly a repulsive piece of film making. Contrary to all the highfalutin hoopla about making a movie about "the truth," this rancid flick is a poorly disguised piece of soft core * which luxuriates in emphasizing all the tawdriest and most sensational aspects - of which there are plenty - of this lurid tale. Everyone knows that Liberace was gay. This movie certainly tells us about his sex life, or at least the version of his sex life as told by his paramour Scott Thorson in his tell-all book. There are always two sides to any story about a relationship, and here we never get to hear Liberace's. The fact that by all accounts Liberace was a generous contributor to charitable causes, encouraged rising talent, and was a congenial and loyal companion to his many show business friends - all of this is absent from this shockfest, or maybe shlockfest. As far as the acting, I was curious to see how Michael Douglas, whose work I admire, would handle the role. He turns in nothing more than a simmering, mincing, lisping, one-dimensional caricature. Evidently movie makers will sink to any depths to make a buck, and this is Exhibit A. Avoid this disgusting piece of trash at all costs.

LIBERACE has been relegated to HBO because it would not make a dime in theaters, outside of a very few zip codes. The Gay aspect is not the reason, Brokeback Mountain did just fine. No, LIBERACE is an ugly mess with a jumble of sex, drugs, manipulation, degradation and betrayal passing for story. Half the actors look like they are trying to hide, Aykroyd in particular. The words 'brave' and 'courageous' are being used to describe the work itself and Douglas' and Damon's performances as openly Gay men. Since being Gay is natural, healthy and as normal as being straight then where is the courage in pretending to be Gay? LIBERACE is semi-pornographic exploitation masquerading as heroic film-making. Perhaps that's where the bravery can be found...in two genuine stars appearing as the leads in a porno-flick.

The film is based on the autobiographical novel of the same name by Scott Thorson (with Alex Thorleifson) adapted for the screen by Richard LaGravenese about the tempestuous 6- year relationship between Liberace and his much younger lover Scott Thorson. This film along with SIDE EFFECTS are purported to be Steven Soderbergh's last films he will direct. The cast is very solid. Matt Damon embodies the role of Scott Thorson well - a young apparently bisexual man who has been tossed from foster home to foster home while he does odd jobs (he is 17 years old) tending to animals. In a gay bar he meets Bob Black (Scott Bakula) who takes Scott to a Liberace concert (his first exposure to the mega-star) and to meet Liberace afterwards. There is tension in the air with Liberace's current paramour and performing partner Billy Leatherwood (Cheyenne Jackson) and we soon discover that Liberace (impeccably played by Michael Douglas) only keeps his 'boys' around for a while before his manager Seymour (Dan Ackroyd) gets rid of them with a check. Liberace and Scott find common ground in being needy people without confidants and soon Scott becomes Liberace's next lover. All goes swimmingly until Liberace sees himself on a TV show and sees how aged he has become. He engages plastic surgeon Dr. Jack Startz (Rob Lowe in a very fine performance) to perform a youthful face lift and at the same time convinces Scott to undergo plastic surgery to make him look more like Liberace! And here begins the downfall: Dr. Startz prescribes pain meds to Scott who becomes addicted and moves into heavier drugs, and his behavior, along with Liberace's need for a 'new face' (Boyd Holbrook), signals the breakup of a 6 year relationship - the best relationship either has ever had. There are excellent cameos by Debbie Reynolds as Liberace's mother, Paul Reiser as Scott's lawyer, and others, but the star of the film is in all ways the flamboyant showman Liberace in some of the most interesting outfits ever created. The on screen relationship between Michael Douglas and Matt Damon is entirely credible and neither of these fine actors has a problem with being sexually physical without seeming to be a parody. There are moments that could have been cut, but as Liberace says, less is more and more is wonderful. Grady Harp