Behind the Candelabra

This film is one of the rare examples of a director and ensemble cast turning a subpar script into a decent film. It lacks dramatic depth, follows a typical biopic formula, and has a shallow understanding of the subject's life. Yet it's easy to overlook the flaws because the performances are so good. Douglas doesn't seem like a good choice for Liberace at first glance but he's daring and very naturalistic in his portrayal. Rob Lowe also turns in an amusing but bizarre performance as a surgeon.

The story is profoundly boring and does little with what must have been far more interesting characters in real life. The performances in particular, along with the costume design, set design and overall "feel" makes it entertaining enough for a while. Towards the end, though, I just didn't care any more.

Garnering a well-deserved theatrical outing here in the UK, Behind the Candelabra is a superbly-acted gem of a biopic. Douglas and Damon deliver two of the year's most impressive, unexpected performances as Liberace and his younger lover Scott Thorson; the film's exploration of their relationship is compelling and enthralling but never seedy or exploitative. Soderbergh's direction is suitably restrained; the era-appropriate mise-in-scene is wonderful. Excellent film; fine directorial swansong.

The strong performances overshadow the formulaic story.

While this film had very strong performances by the leads, I would say the entire film left me quite disappointed. I truly wanted to enjoy this film, but I feel as though they failed to dive into any sort of rich depth with the characters, especially that of Liberace himself. I suppose since Damon's character is the true main character in the film that it makes sense why Liberace's history is detailed in such a perfunctory manner; regardless, it felt as vapid as any awards-bait biopic would.

By-the-numbers biopic that features awards-worthy performances from Michael Douglas and Rob Lowe and typically strong direction from Steven Soderbergh. I suppose it's brave in not shying away from the gay elements of Liberace's life, but at the same time it doesn't feel different from any other biopic about a famous person.

Need to rewatch.

Liberace was a true G.

The leads work hard to raise this above the level of a generic biopic, and the director tries his best to add some stylistic panache, but these efforts are only partially successful: ultimately, the film suffers due to a mediocre script. I've always felt Michael Douglas has been a somewhat misunderstood and under-appreciated actor, so it is nice to see that in this instance his work was generally well-received. Dan Aykroyd, on the other hand, was simply unconvincing in his minor role.

You never quite know what your going to get with Soderbergh, but "Behind the Candelabra" sits somewhere between Soderbergh's slick but bland collection (Oceans 11, Magic Mike) and his more compelling works (Contagion, The Informant). There are elements of the Soderbergh I don't like here; notably the lack of dramatic & character depth. But there's also elements of the Soderbergh I do like, being thematically strong & stylish. Douglas is supurb in particular in what is overall a solid biopic.