Behind the Candelabra

2013 At the movies December 2013 Suzanne A. Marshall

By Suzanne A. Marshall from the December 2013 Edition

Starring: Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Dan Aykroyd,

Scott Bakula, Rob Lowe, Debbie Reynolds

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Studio: HBO Films

It’s not hard to love this movie.

As a young girl I remember seeing appearances of Liberace on the Ed Sullivan show and other TV venues. He was a wonderful musician, entertainer and quite a sweet character.

I found it amazing how Michael Douglas embraced the character of Liberace very much as I remembered him; his voice, the cadence of his speech, his movements and his flamboyance. The entire cast was amazing as was the entire production which won 11 of 15 Emmy nominations including Best Actor for Michael Douglas. Matt Damon and Scott Bakula were also nominated for their supporting roles.

I personally felt that Matt Damon was also a real winner in this one as well.

The plot of the movie takes us through a 10 year period in Liberace’s life when he has a gay relationship with

Scott Thorson who was later to write the book: Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace. The movie is quite sexually explicit so be prepared. But the story is very romantic, Liberace is played with humor and sensitivity and Matt Damon is really believable in his role as well.

The ratings on this movie are solidly between 8.2/10 and 9/10.

 

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