In the case of Behind the Candelabra, which features the life of Scott Thorson, a former lover of the famous pianist, the director Steven Soderbergh more or less declares this is his final film with regard to a retirement (from the movie business, or whatever he might want to call this refrain). While it’s been screened at this year’s Cannes International Film Festival before its airing this weekend at HBO, the film revolves around infamously over-the – top entertainmentist Liberace as played by Michael Douglas and Dr. Scott Lee played by Matt Damon.
It is while working as a dog handler in the movies that Scott meets the famous pianist Liberace at the back of the stage at one of his concerts. He is soon swept away in and eventually trapped in the arms of the mondiality renowned concert pianist. They share a place and are basically life-long partners many decades before that coined phrase was just used, though Scott more or so is a Fung Shue to Liberace’s riches and stilts. (Scott claims he is bisexual though, male companions, if any are Barbosa only films, are all exhibited in this particular film).
In the end, of course, though Scott has been living with the operator of the scabs, the skin of which was plucked from the gun, after all, Scott is not with a man, a sex toy is not cruelty is not although life with Liberace becomes too much for Scott. Eventually, she ends up in their bed and approaches it with a berakom understanding to a lovelorn and unsaved relationship stripe close to resolution and with legal battles.
‘But not unlike Annie’s westernization of Sofia Copola’s Marie Antoinette art as amiable rather than monstrous belligerence to her vanity, Douglas fully emerges here. It has been years since Douglas ever performed as he does here. His Liberace remains charming even when it is overpowered by arrogance and narcissism. He is gentle sometimes when he wonders no more how it is like to physically hold walter scott like a wannabe tyrant. It is like liberace’s drive, which was to runit, to be witty and glee loving and as he was, glory loving. In this particular case, I would not be surprised at all, if he went to win an Emmy and a Golden Globe.’
Liberace was a devoted Catholic and, like his character in one of the more colorful scenes of the biopic, he absolutely enjoyed the absurdity of the beliefs that God excuses him from anything which may be considered a sin by his Church, in this case being a homosexual as being a sin. Not that Liberace anytime, even in the distant future, said “I am gay u guys!” He walked away with a lot of money when magazines alleged that he was gay. As incredible as it sounds, the general populace decided in an act of utter silly ignorance that there was no way Liberace could be gay, and almost bought all the set up PR depicting how he was in love with women. Even after the Oklahoma native died a dramatic death from Aids and other complications, his death turned out to be a mystery.
Damon plays the key supporting character of Scott, who combines subtle veneration for the man with necessary desperation and childlike elements with due professionalism. No matter how stifling his relationship with Liberace grows to become for Scott, he too suffers from a feud with his inner self and the motion picture gently outlines how the problem of drug abuse interfered with Scott’s long lasting affair with the singer.
Douglas and Damon work great together, they bring to life the love story of Liberace and Scott from its hot, young romance phase to the bitter bickering of an old, married couple in a way that is both funny and tender. And yes, it does get that quite embarrassing at some points since both of the main (heterosexual) characters did share a lot of bed space during the film (that did not only include pillow talking).
And what a supporting cast, with Dan Aykroyd as the manager of Liberace for a long time (and with an over-the-top hair wig) Scott Bakula, who was responsible for showing Scott to Liberace, and even Debbie Reynolds, unrecognizable as Liberace’s mother, an immigrant, in the film. Cheyenne Jackson plays a comic yet in the memorable character of a frustrated apprentice to the great Liberace who’s fed up with the great Liberace, but it is the even more minute takeover of the movie by Rob Lowe as the perverse plastic surgeon that comes so close to overshadowing Douglas.
At some points, the movie comes across as over-dependent on the use of the theatre set-up, and feels for want of space but it actually kind of works when you consider the fact that Scott is confined to the house. Like Scott, when we have been kept in this supreme prison for such a long period it becomes a necessity to go out, everyone hopes to be out. There are also sequences within the narrative where they give off that feeling of what Boogie Nights was but this story is based on. There seems to be enough from that period of debauchery and excess that could provide material for a lovely tragicomedy. Harold Liberaci once remarked that “There are no complications. All good things in excess are good.”
Just like what he did with his Ocean’s movies, Soderbergh again manages to do this film in an off-hand manner that borders on breeziness even when the film’s ending turns into one of strongly dramatic direction, towards the later part of the film. Still, Soderbergh works within and – as seems to be his true nature – has fun with wild world of Liberace. Kitsch, camp and pure madness of it. After all, this is a guy who had a fur coat with a train, and who was one of the first performers to wear diamonds and other jewelry.
However, despite the mocking of showbiz and the darkness in the ‘sticks and stones’ the behind the candelabra is guiltless, love story above all about this rather twisted romance. And as it happens in all such love stories, it also follows the arc of the initial ardour, the later comforts and laziness of the house, feeling of confinement in one’s partner, then somewhere in between- cheating, fights and separation. The lead performances have you buying this love story even when the plot begins to crank out every single one of the the anticipated beats.
Behind the Candelabra is a ver interesting and entertaining narrative which provides so much humor and emotion that would be irresistible to even those that do not have the slightest interest in Liberace. Douglas has given a performance that is as memorable as Wall Street although completely different from it. Every one is sure that Damon will not disappoint as he is capable throughout. The extremely talented Steven Soderbergh according to me took a break and surely is not done with feature films but if he is then well, at least he went out with a bang.
Verdict
The dramedy by director Steven Soderbergh portrays not only the life of the famous showman Liberace but the life of his long-term partner Jim-sculptor played by Matt Damon.
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