Starring: Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Scott Bakula
Overall Rating: 71.3
The mythos of Behind the Candelabra in Hollywood had built up so much steam leading up to the release of Steven Soderbergh's biopic of the late Liberace, that the entire film almost felt like an exhale that lasted 2 hours long. There had been talk about the film ever since the first peek of Michael Douglas as the famed pianist surfaced, followed by movie studios balking at the idea of this "gay" of a movie to be released, to its ultimate landing on HBO. While the film tells a personal story of this larger-than-life personality, this may be the one time I found myself wishing Soderbergh had not muted the volume of his vision.
Candelabra follows the story of Scott Thorson (who also wrote the novel the film was based on, played by Matt Damon), a young gay man who was introduced to Liberace and started a romantic partnership. The early parts of the film almost have a Boogie Nights feel to them. A young, modest man gets a taste of the glamorous lifestyle thanks to his attractiveness, and soon finds his entire world flipped upside down. Being told from the perspective of Thorson, you almost get an insider's look through a gay man's lens at the time. The running joke early on is how all of these older, blue-haired women never realize that this man with poofed up hair, fur coats, an effeminate voice, and love of all things glitzy is actually gay.
As Thorson and Liberace grow more domesticated in their partnership, challenges begin to emerge. Thorson develops a drug addiction after undergoing plastic surgery to look more like his older lover (because of course), Liberace continues to try to keep his public life a secret despite wanting to visit sex shops, and the two have constant trust issues always assuming a younger stud is on his way in.
Douglas and Damon both share a strong chemistry on screen, but don't necessarily make you believe they are the characters they are attempting to portray. The supporting cast, however, give plenty of amazing performances to help hide this fact. Dan Aykroyd plays Liberace's manager with a fierce temper. Bakula fills the role of the in-between that first introduces Thorson and Liberace. Ultimately, the scene stealer of the film is Rob Lowe as Thorson and Liberace's plastic surgeon. Carrying an alien-like face that's been worked on a few dozen times too many, Lowe provides the much needed, unintentional humor for the film.
Considering the subject matter of this flamboyant musician, now known as a punch line for over the top imagery, the visual tone of the film almost felt dumbed down a bit. The glitz and glamor of Las Vegas and the sequins of Liberace are present, but fell short of expectations. We get to see the famous fox-fur coat that has it's own driver, we briefly see the golden bathtubs in Liberace's mansion, but we never get to feel like we're in this extravagant world.
Soderbergh succeeds in telling an interesting tale about a cast of interesting characters. It's unlikely you'll watch the film and not learn something new about the late musician, but again, I can't help but feel like for a film about Liberace, there should have been more.
Individual Ratings
Enjoyment Factor: 6
Dialogue: 8
Acting: 9
Direction: 8
Audio/Visual: 5
