Review of Behind the Candelabra (2013) by Walter M — 04 Jun 2013

In "Behind the Candelabra," Scott Thorson(Matt Damon) works as an animal trainer in Hollywood. On a date with Bob Black(Scott Bakula), they go to see Liberace(Michael Douglas) play. Scott is amazed that Bob gets them backstage where Scott and Liberace chat. In return, Liberace is impressed with Scott's veterinary skills and offers him a full time job in his retinue. Scott accepts.

For the record, while Michael Douglas has never been that self-conscious an actor, he has also never really had the opportunity to fully submerse himself in a role until he portrayed Liberace in "Behind the Candelabra" for which he is mostly successful.(If you think that is wild, wait until you see Rob Lowe. And hey, is that Dan Aykroyd?) Here, we learn that Liberace had plastic surgery, was gay, and liked sex - a lot, while hiding in plain sight.(As he puts it, some people see what they want to see.) That's not to mention some biographical snippets, the most interesting of which is that Liberace was his real last name. But that's pretty much it. The movie's lack of development is again symptomatic of Steven Soderbergh working too quickly and wanting to get to the restaurant in time for the early bird special. For example, even though the movie is too long, it could have used more fantasia like the sequence towards the end of the film.