Behind the Candelabra (2013)

• Year: 2013
• Released: 26 May 2013
• Country: United States
• Adwords: Won 11 Primetime Emmys. 46 wins & 54 nominations total
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1291580/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/Behind_the_Candelabra
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English
• MPA Rating: TV-MA
• Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
• Runtime: 118 min
• Writer: Richard LaGravenese, Scott Thorson, Alex Thorleifson
• Director: Steven Soderbergh
• Cast: Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Scott Bakula
• Keywords: based on novel or book, based on true story, based on a true story, gay, based on memoir or autobiography,

	7.0/10
	94% – Critics
	71% – Audience

Behind the Candelabra Storyline

Scott Thorson, a young bisexual man raised in foster homes, is introduced to flamboyant entertainment giant Liberace and quickly finds himself in a romantic relationship with the legendary pianist. Swaddled in wealth and excess, Scott and Liberace have a long affair, one that Scott eventually begins to find suffocating. Kept away from the outside world by his flashily effeminate yet deeply closeted partner, and submitting to extreme makeovers and even plastic surgery at the behest of his lover, Scott eventually rebels. When Liberace finds himself a new lover, Scott is tossed onto the street. He then seeks legal redress for what he feels he has lost. But throughout, the bond between the young man and the star never completely tears.

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Behind the Candelabra Movie Reviews

A triumph

This is a first-rate piece of work by Mr Soderbergh and his team (kudos to Ellen Mirojnick’s flamboyant costumes and Howard Cummings’ outrageous interiors). The otherwise excellent screenplay by Richard LaGravanese loses a little steam around two-thirds of the way through, but recovers to give a genuinely touching conclusion.

Nominally this is a biopic. In fact, it uses the biopic format to examine a particular relationship in depth. The narrative focus is on the dynamic between two people rather than the inner turmoil of one. This, as well as the director’s good taste, has kept at bay the sprawling pretentiousness and sentimentality which usually infest the genre, regardless of how good the central performances are: films as diverse as LA VIE EN ROSE and MILK have been scuppered in this way. Not so BEHIND THE CANDELABRA, which is an altogether more sophisticated affair.

The acting is dazzling. Michael Douglas, in a beautifully-written role, communicates the complexity of a real human being, not just a two-dimensional celebrity. At the same time, he gives full value to Liberace’s famous showmanship. A star performance, sure – the subject demands it – but also much, much more.

Matt Damon is a revelation. For me, up till now, he has represented the worst kind of dead-behind-the-eyes, don’t-dare-express-anything movie acting. The nearest I came to thinking any different was his turn as the scout in the Coen Brothers’ remake of TRUE GRIT. In BEHIND THE CANDELABRA he displays a range I never thought he had in him. The character moves from naivety through rage to despair and on to quiet understanding. Really, really terrific.

The two leads create a totally believable relationship between their characters, in all its aspects. A triumph.

The icing on the cake is the supporting cast, led by Dan Aykroyd and Scott Bakula, and spangled with cameos from Rob Lowe, Debbie Reynolds, Bruce Ramsay, Cheyenne Jackson and Paul Reiser.

Here in England we’re fortunate to see this film on big screens. As is well known, it was financed by a TV company (HBO) and will not be released theatrically in the USA. That tells a sad story about the American movie industry, from which an independent-minded artist like Mr Soderbergh is wise to walk away.

The Years With Lee

With same sex marriage now becoming a reality in many areas it’s a good thing to examine some of the relationships that were and still are considered the norm in the gay world. Such a relationship involved Liberace and Scott Thorson played with extraordinary verisimilitude by Michael Douglas and Matt Damon in Behind The Candelabra. This film directed by Steven Soderbergh should have received a big screen release.

There’s a whole generation of people who have grown up and another one growing who have no knowledge of Liberace the entertainer. Now with so many show business celebrities never even entering the closet let alone emerging it almost seems quaint how Liberace took such pains to hide who and what he was as if such a flamboyant personality ever could.

With the kind of wealth he amassed Liberace could get just about anyone he wanted and on his own terms. So when young Scott Thorson came back stage one fine afternoon and Liberace took one look at him it was lust at first sight. His current flame went and Scott was ensconced in the palatial estate in Las Vegas which he lived in luxury as a kept boy toy.

These relationships are always dangerous. Scott may have the attractiveness, but Liberace had the money and the power. Years ago when I worked at New York State Crime Victims Board I had a case where a man in his 60s was killed and left a surviving partner in his 40s and they had been together for about 20 years. It was a relationship like Liberace and Thorson had. The older man was a business executive and the younger did nothing but keep house. Because there was no same sex marriage when the older man died, the younger inherited nothing that was not in his name. But worse than that he had no job or trade he could fall back on, he was completely dependent on the older for support. Scott Thorson wanted to be a veterinarian when he met Liberace. I’m sure he’s sorry he didn’t learn some kind of job to fall back on. The palimony suit that he brought against Liberace was out of sheer necessity.

Douglas and Damon bring both men alive for a younger generation, more importantly a younger generation of LGBT young people who can see what it was like in the bad old days which aren’t quite over. The two truly dominate the film, but Debbie Reynolds as Liberace venerated mother and Dan Aykroyd as business manager Seymour Heller and most of all Rob Lowe as a quack doctor who hooks Damon on diet pills are quite memorable. Matt Damon who is getting on should have done this project in the 90s. But his skill pulls off the part where he’s clearly too old.

I recommend this film highly for young gay audiences.

With all the talents, can’t quite live up to expectations

It’s 1977. Scott Thorson (Matt Damon) is a young animal trainer for the movies. He meets producer Bob Black (Scott Bakula) in a gay bar who introduces him to Liberace (Michael Douglas). After treating Liberace’s dog, he takes Thorson under his wing. Thorson is entranced by the opulence and an offer of a job. The older Liberace takes over the young Thorson’s life including changing his face by Dr. Jack Startz (Rob Lowe).

This movie has Steven Soderbergh behind the camera and some great acting talents in front of the camera. I know it’s a TV movie but with that kind of talent, I was expecting a whole lot more. Maybe I expected too much. The story is a pretty simple one about a naive newcomer falling into a sugar daddy. It’s a lot of flash and Liberace provides all the outrageousness that any filmmaker could ever hope for. But the story just doesn’t have any surprises. The acting is good. Everybody has a lot of fun playing gay. Matt Damon may be playing innocent a little too much at the beginning. The movie looks fine but there isn’t any chance to pump up the excitement. This isn’t all that compelling.