The concise critics

Behind The Candelabra

Year : 2013 Director : Steven Soderbergh Running Time : 118 min Genre : ,
Movie review score
4.5/5

What’s it about?
Based on the autobiographical novel, the tempestuous 6-year relationship between Liberace and his (much younger) lover, Scott Thorson, is recounted.

What did we think?
Cindy says: “Too much of a good thing is wonderful”. At the heart of this beautifully crafted film is excess, sex, but most of all, romance.  Michael Douglas and Matt Damon have incredible chemistry as Liberace and his ”baby boy” Scott Thorson.  Director Steven Soderbergh again deftly explores the truth of human emotion, while Douglas is particularly mesmerising and at times superbly unrecognisable.   The audience is treated to the sumptuous visual and aural feast that was the tragic love story spanning the last decade of the flamboyant entertainers final decade.  Sadly this magnificent and sparkly biopic will not grace the cinema screens in the US.  While it has secured a theatrical release here in Australia and Europe, American audiences will have to tune in to HBO, who stepped up with the cash to fund it after studios refused to commit, the actors were told that it would be a career ending project and the director was told it simply shouldn’t be made.  And as Soderbergh’s possible swan song, we have one more thing to thank HBO for giving us: pure entertainment gold.

Leave a Reply