User reviews

By sheer coincidence, just two nights prior to the debut of 'Behind the Candelabra', I had the pleasure of viewing one of my favorite films, 1965's 'The Loved One', in which Liberace played 'Mr.Starker', a casket salesman. So it was with Liberace's voice, image and mannerisms fresh in my mind that I encountered Michael Douglas' portrayal of the man and boy, did he nail it.

The story itself is pretty much by the numbers with the kind of shorthand one expects from a TV movie bio; it's the performances that bring this to a certain level of greatness. Douglas all but disappears into the role, right from the start. It's truly an amazing thing to watch, and considering the subject, a brave and unapologetic performance. Matt Damon is equally impressive and while I have no idea if he does the real Scott Thorson justice, his transformation from an eager and innocent young man to a jaded, coked-up and surgically altered paranoid boy-toy is stark and convincing. Add to these chameleon-like performances an unrecognizable Debbie Reynolds and a truly unnerving Rob Lowe and you have two hours of truly compelling, master-class performances.

Highly recommended.

The big studios passed on this film despite the fact that it is directed by Steven Soderbergh (Ocean's Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen, Traffic), and would star Matt Damon and Michael Douglas. They thought is would be "too gay."

Well, thank goodness for HBO, as they jumped in and green-lighted the film, which is in competition for the Palme d'Or at Cannes.

All the action took place in the seventies and eighties. Liberace was about 40 years older than his new lover, Scott. Michael Douglas was fantastic as Liberace, and Matt Damon was also brilliant in the role of Scott.

Rob Lowe and Dan Ackroyd supplied outstanding support to the story.

Just the right amount of music; maybe there could have been a little more. This was a fascinating story about a man who was in love with himself far more than he could have been with Scott or anyone else.

For a film about a gay relationship - I had my doubts when I discovered the two male leads were to be played by straight men, but I couldn't be more convinced by their on-screen personas.

The kitch was eye-wateringly OTT, Douglas superbly needy yet controlling and Damon sucked into the whole charade. Rob Lowe's performance had me recoiling with his creepiness/plastic surgery face and it couldn't be farther from his more mainstream performances. For a role that appeared for only a few minutes - it stuck with me long after the film was over.

All in all, a very solid biopic film that unfortunately won't be Oscared as its been shown as TV movie in the USA. A great shame - Douglas and Damon deserve nominations - their *chemistry* is totally believable.

Final point - either Douglas is a superb pianist or the CGI of his hands on the keyboard is first rate!

The film is based on the autobiographical novel of the same name by Scott Thorson (with Alex Thorleifson) adapted for the screen by Richard LaGravenese about the tempestuous 6- year relationship between Liberace and his much younger lover Scott Thorson. This film along with SIDE EFFECTS are purported to be Steven Soderbergh's last films he will direct.

The cast is very solid. Matt Damon embodies the role of Scott Thorson well - a young apparently bisexual man who has been tossed from foster home to foster home while he does odd jobs (he is 17 years old) tending to animals. In a gay bar he meets Bob Black (Scott Bakula) who takes Scott to a Liberace concert (his first exposure to the mega-star) and to meet Liberace afterwards. There is tension in the air with Liberace's current paramour and performing partner Billy Leatherwood (Cheyenne Jackson) and we soon discover that Liberace (impeccably played by Michael Douglas) only keeps his 'boys' around for a while before his manager Seymour (Dan Ackroyd) gets rid of them with a check. Liberace and Scott find common ground in being needy people without confidants and soon Scott becomes Liberace's next lover. All goes swimmingly until Liberace sees himself on a TV show and sees how aged he has become. He engages plastic surgeon Dr. Jack Startz (Rob Lowe in a very fine performance) to perform a youthful face lift and at the same time convinces Scott to undergo plastic surgery to make him look more like Liberace! And here begins the downfall: Dr. Startz prescribes pain meds to Scott who becomes addicted and moves into heavier drugs, and his behavior, along with Liberace's need for a 'new face' (Boyd Holbrook), signals the breakup of a 6 year relationship - the best relationship either has ever had.

There are excellent cameos by Debbie Reynolds as Liberace's mother, Paul Reiser as Scott's lawyer, and others, but the star of the film is in all ways the flamboyant showman Liberace in some of the most interesting outfits ever created. The on screen relationship between Michael Douglas and Matt Damon is entirely credible and neither of these fine actors has a problem with being sexually physical without seeming to be a parody. There are moments that could have been cut, but as Liberace says, less is more and more is wonderful.

Grady Harp

It's starting to look like 2013 is Soderbergh's year. Side Effects and Behind The Candelabra seem to be my favourite of his career so far, though that's only relatively, as I'm not a big fan of him. I do have Out Of Sight on my to see list coming up soon and I do need to give Traffic another watch before I make any final assessment on him. Although Soderbergh is frequently the director, cinematography and editor on his projects, he may be efficient but he's far too clinical, pushing the audience as an observer that it's difficult to feel emotionally involved in his films. I can't get excited for his half-baked premises that most likely haven't been fulfilled to their potential. However, Behind The Candelabra may be the first film I've seen of his that suits his style ideally. His style is still distant and voyeuristic, but in this bizarre world where Liberace adopts his lover for a son and pays for plastic surgery to make him look like himself, it feels more deliberate to keep us at a distance.

Instead, the scenes of dramatic conflict, decision and choice are played off for jokes and it's really effective, always earning belly laughs with its brilliant one-liners without feeling like it's silly. Perhaps its nervous laughter but it makes for an entertaining and interesting film. Michael Douglas is terrific as Liberace. I've never seen him take a character on like this. He's nearly up there with Sean Penn's Milk. It feels like it's been a while since Matt Damon has been in films I've wanted to watch and with this and Elysium, I've forgotten how reliable a lead he is. The characters inhabit a flashy world, but its kept on the costumes and sets which are incidental more than anything and the style of the film is kept subtle, besides a great choice of swooping cameras. It does have its flaws with nearly soap opera-esque structure and conflict but my expectations were very low so this is a pleasant surprise. I think I even prefer it to Side Effects.

7/10

I would not want to be the person shopping around a serious script in Hollywood about the life of the famous pianist Liberace. It would be the toughest of sells to a culture that would likely feel the material is too dry and the demand too little. A slightly campier script, with luxurious set design and intimate portrayals of characters the public wouldn't likely know about is what I'd like to get my hands on. The story of Liberace is stranger than fiction and dryer, more serious material could've corrupted its overall goals and ambitions.

The film with the campier script, luxurious set designs, and intimate portrayals is Steven Soderbergh's Behind the Candelabra, a wonderful, limitless look at the life of Liberace, an enigma in every sense of the word. In addition to playing many sold-out shows, the man had a lovelife like no other at the time, meeting and becoming fast friends with Scott Thorson, an aspiring veterinarian who was quickly made his lover. Thorson seemed to have a genuine understanding of the loneliness and lack of friendship Liberace had and provided him with great talks, great compassion, and great sex.

The relationship, however, resulted in drug addiction, intense plastic surgery, lies, mistrust, and ended with a lawsuit. Soderbergh and writer Richard LaGravenese don't hesitate to explore this and make it one of the deepest focuses in the picture. The relationships the men had had the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. The scenes when they are together in a hot tub are human and romantic. The scenes when they are fighting are heartbreaking because you realize that these men haven't just come so far to make their relationship work but losing each other after so long would be detrimental to their self-esteems and egos. They complete each other and that's where the magic is at its strongest.

Liberace is played by Michael Douglas in one of the bravest roles of his career. So brave and powerful that it's unfortunate that because of the film's TV movie status it is ineligible for an Academy Award nomination. Douglas is an actor who is never conventional with his role choice. The same man who played a common-man pushed off a cliff of sanity, an executive victim to a consuming, real-life game, and a worried father of a drug-addicted daughter is the same man playing a middle-aged, flamboyant pianist with a love for wonder, music, and men. The diversity in role choice is stunning.

Matt Damon appears at his youngest as Liberace's lover Scott, in an equally conflicted, complex performance. Damon fills the shoes of the role beautifully and effectively, giving off much in the way of creative energy and heart as he shows just how stressed and torn Thorson must've been in a relationship with someone who truly loved and understood him but wanted to manipulate him. Supporting performances from Rob Lowe as Liberace's doctor, prescribing medicines to both him and Thorson and Dan Aykroyd as his manager are terrific and often are seen providing strong comic relief.

For a TV movie to have the cinematography and atmosphere that Behind the Candelabra does is truly a feature worth nothing. It may not be as excessive as Baz Luhrmann's Great Gatsby - I don't expect anything of the next two years to be on par with that film - but rarely has a TV movie achieved such phenomenally vibrant and luscious standards. The only thing that could make it better is Soderbergh proving he knows how to work with it and he most certainly does.

HBO seems to be the go-to network for biographical films about figures that wouldn't likely make appropriate return in the theaters (Behind the Candelabra especially considering the summer movie season has already hit the ground running). David Mamet, just a few months ago, directed the delightful and shockingly unbiased Phil Spector, with actors like Al Pacino and Helen Mirren receiving top-billing. Seeing as a Liberace biopic is directed by none other than Soderbergh, I wouldn't be surprised at seeing a slew of films about eclectic media figures being made and released on HBO in the next few years. Networks that have the drive and willingness to air these kinds of films are a necessity to the success of film.

Starring: Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Rob Lowe, and Dan Aykroyd. Directed by: Steven Soderbergh.

I decided to watch this film on HBO because I thought it would be a hoot - one of those catastrophic and pretentious productions which are so laughable. Within 20 minutes I realized that the film was rather important. Michael Douglas captures the late Liberace's mannerisms and voice with astonishing ease. He is quite stellar in his performance, and I see him now in a new light. Matt Damon is excellent as Scott, his protégé. The personages involved are deeply complex, even if one is only familiar with the contemporary "National Enquirer" reports one realizes their is something one can not quite understand about "Lee & Scott's" relationship. Douglas and Damon are brilliant in delving into these characters. They are unrecognizable, at times, from the familiar roles we all know of them. I think the film well worth watching. As a bonus, Matt Damon shows his bum on several occasions, for those who are interested; if not, one cannot help but be interested in the wonderful performances from two of Hollywood's great stars! A courageous undertaking well done indeed!!!

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.

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.

I've seen "Behind the Candelabra" from 2013 and "Behind the Music" from 1988. Behind the Candelabra was an expensive HBO production starring Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Rob Lowe, Debbie Reynolds, and Scott Bakula.

This particular film goes into more detail about Liberace's private life and his efforts to hide his homosexuality. It seems incredible now, given that he was such a flamboyant showman. Interestingly, this flamboyance can be a trait of the "twinless twin" where a twin dies at birth.

Elvis Presley and Diego Rivera are two other twinless twins, as were Thorton Wilder and science fiction writer Philip Dick. Each of these artists and also many twinless twins have demonstrated an unusual ability and drive - the twinning motif.

Their careers are dominated by a compulsion to bring together different strands of creativity, and render something completely new. By doing this, they are attempting - for a lifetime to seek a more fuller understanding of why they lived while their twin died.

The Liberace shown to us by Scott Thorsen is much different from that shown in the 1988 movie, a much more honest look at Liberace's lifestyle and sexuality. It's a much richer script.

Here we see a man in his big fur walking around an audience, showing his flashy ring and saying, I worked hard for these rocks! In his private life, he was never alone but lonely and had relationships with several young men. Was he looking for someone to help him feel young, or someone to recreate his younger self? We see with Thorsen and Thorsen's plastic surgery that Liberace wanted a mini-younger me.

As far as the performances, they were all excellent with the exception of Michael Douglas. As far as I'm concerned, he just put on a wig. His performance can't compare with Victor Garber's, who had less than great material.

Marni Nixon, the great singer who dubbed Deborah Kerr, Natalie Wood, and Audrey Hepburn in films, worked with Liberace and toured with him. She obviously loved him. He comes across as warm and generous, and someone who enjoyed spending lots of money, calling his gifts "happy happys."

Internally, however, he lived in the wrong time and was obsessive with hiding his identity as a gay man. It's a shame. He had a wonderful talent to entertain, and a vivid imagination he was able to share with his audience with his over-the-top clothing, shows, and his personality.

A final note: I visited the Liberace Museum in Los Angeles. Liberace had a set of china made in the mold of the royal family's - and after Liberace's, the mold was broken. That was true of him too. When they made him, they broke the mold.

a missed opportunity for a film. the true story is that a 57 year old man takes a 17 year old boy to bed, takes him into his home, well his mansion, no less, introduces him to drugs, bullies him into plastic surgery to make him look like himself, and soderbergh decides to give us this piece of fluffy nonsense! its extraordinary. the material is the stuff of horror and this light hearted puff of hum dee hah is the result. is no one else more outraged by the abuse of a 17 year old boy? has the world truly lost its moral compass to such an extent? the idea that a 42 year matt damon should play scott as a 17 year old and fail to tell the real story is wrong. am i really the only person amazed by this? i give this 4 because the film carries a story and it is well acted, it just isn't the film that it should be.

The movie is uninspired. Structurally it's solid but from a story telling point of view it's bland. It's so thin that I spent most of my time wondering how far Douglas and Damon were willing to go on the gay thing. It seemed more like they wanted to simply add 'a gay character' to their CV's - neither of them was particularly convincing, nor interesting. Soderbergh might be more the blame though. He knows how to storyboard and block but he hasn't a clue how to empathize with characters and plot.

However, Rob Lowe breaks away from everyone. He gives an inspired performance - it's sinister and funny - but it's too short to save the movie.

Don't bother with this one, it's not worth the two hour run time. If you want to see an actor imitate a star watch My Week with Marilyn, close your eyes and listen to Branagh imitate Olivier, it's remarkable. Then go back and watch Douglas stumble around Liberace - just for the laugh.

I was born in the 50's. The honest truth is I have never liked Liberace. I always, even as a child, found him creepy and smarmy.

I understand that as the writer Scott Thorson would paint himself into a somewhat sympathetic light and that is to be expected. Some of the things portrayed would be needed to be taken with a grain of salt. The fact is that Liberace did have plastic surgery on Thorson trying to clone himself.

To me that lends credence to everything else.

Michael Douglas's portrayal is spot on. Matt Damn is also very good.

I could not watch this in one sitting but did it in two. The creep and yuck factor just would not allow me to do it.

As a gay man I have known many wealthy gay men who flatter, control, use then toss out younger men. It is very sad. That Liberace in the end did not plan anything for Thorson is sad. He tells him "he was the love of his life" but still did nothing.

Liberace died with an estate of $115 million dollars with very little family.

So that in itself says alot.

I feel bad that Thorson has had the troubles in his life that he has had to endure. Turned into a drug addict by the plastic surgeon and living a life ruined. Not even left with a face he can call his own.

Whether you're into classical music or not, there surely are few people unfamiliar with the name Liberace. Wladziu Valentino Liberace was a child prodigy, who became one of the wealthiest entertainers of his time - flamboyant and controversial.

Interestingly enough, despite his flamboyance, audiences never realized Liberace was gay. 'Behind the Candelabra' so effectively depicts the life of this enigmatic entertainer. Michael Douglas is well cast as Liberace (who would have thought Michael Douglas would portray a homosexual?) His lover, Scott Thorson, is portrayed by Matt Damon. With the film being based on a book written by Thorson himself, one can assume the events in the film to be pretty accurate.

The film is fast-paced and captivating. It features incredible costumes and the make-up is stunningly well done. I also loved the production design. Oh, the opulence! Although a drama, the film is also quite funny. (It does get a bit depressing towards the end, but then again, this is based on fact and tells the story as it happened).

Whether you're interested in the real-life icon or not, 'Behind the Candelabra' makes for an entertaining watch. You don't have to like classical music to enjoy the movie.

I can't honestly say that I know very much about Liberace. I was a teenager in the 70's - Liberace really wasn't my cup of tea. Still, I know about him. His flashiness, his sexuality, his ability with the piano - and I'm familiar with the "palimony" suit launched against him by his much younger lover, Scott Thorson. "Behind the Candelabra" is the movie adaptation of Thorson's book about the relationship, so it needs to be viewed with a grain of salt; it's hardly unbiased. But unbiased or not, it is a fascinating look into the glitzy, showy, and sometimes degenerate world inhabited by Liberace and Thorson, who was almost 50 years younger than Liberace when the relationship began.

The "world" is fabulously portrayed. The costumes and sets seem very authentic, and - with the above note about bias being kept in mind - the basic story of the relationship is believable enough. Liberace and Thorson were together for four years, and in those four years, things got weird. Liberace supposedly promised to adopt Thorson; and Thorson was given a part in Liberace's show. The movie portrays the relationship's breakup (due to Liberace's infidelities) and the final reunion between the two, as Thorson visits Liberace on his deathbed. It all seems very realistic, and provides an almost voyeuristic experience into the relationship between the two.

The highlight of the movie, though, has to be the performances offered by Matt Damon (as Thorson) and - especially - Michael Douglas as Liberace. Both were brilliant and totally believable in the parts. These must have been difficult roles. Two guys - both obviously straight - playing these parts in a movie which includes a lot of very passionate scenes between them could have come across as awkward, but credit goes to both of them for the fact that it never seemed awkward. They came across as natural together in what must (at times) have been very uncomfortable roles for them. I gained a new appreciation of the talents of both from this movie.

It's very enjoyable and it certainly offers a glimpse into a world that the vast majority of us will never see - and that the vast majority of us probably wouldn't want to see. (8/10)

Congrats to HBO for having the guts to produce a script which mainstream studios refused to consider. "Behind The Candelabra" gives us a story about Liberace's personal life, from the POV of his one time lover, "blond Adonis" Scott Thorson. The plot spans some ten years, from 1977 to Liberace's death in 1987.

Aside from his public persona, Liberace (Michael Douglas) comes across as egotistical, daring, self-absorbed, and to some extent old-fashioned in his values and beliefs. Scott Thorson (Matt Damon) comes across as passive, a tad lazy, and lacking in foresight and intellect. The plot's first half presents us with a love story. In the second half, reality sets in. One gets the feeling that though there may have been love between the two, Scott is just one more object for Liberace to collect, which was easy for him given his wealth. That kind of material relationship speaks poorly of both men.

This film has a big cast, and some well-known names. Rob Lowe is terrific as a humorously bizarre plastic surgeon. Debbie Reynolds, as Lee's elderly mother, is so good that she is unrecognizable. Nearly all of the actors give fine performances. Michael Douglas especially deserves credit given that Liberace's mannerisms and image are so well known.

Lavish custom costumes, detailed and elaborate production design, tons of subtle and not-so-subtle makeup all combine to add enormously to the story's credibility, as does the cinematography. Interior lighting makes Liberace's on-stage performances come alive. Music is, not unexpectedly, what Liberace liked, to some extent stuffy and old-fashioned.

I was never a Liberace fan. But he was a much-beloved entertainer and talented pianist, who had a long show business career. That the Hollywood studios turned this script down tells us a great deal about Hollywood. The real hero in this film is not a character so much as it is HBO. Maybe there is hope that quality films can still be made, despite cowardly industry insiders.

Steven Soderbergh's tentative final film is a biography of Liberace, with the cast of Michael Douglas (his post-cancer comeback) and Matt Damon, it still fails to secure a cinema release in USA, which comes across as a bummer since after BROKENBACK MOUNTAIN (2005, 10/10) and MILK (2008, 8/10), in the mainstream media, gay films haven't yet progressed much thanks to the conservative top brass in the Hollywood. Anyway, trends will change eventually, nothing can stop it, USA made a great advancement several days ago and the rest of the world will follow.

Michael Douglas stuns with his effeminate mimicry (on stage is the lilting rendition) in the film as the world-known pianist, a flamboyant closeted-man, a selfish control-freak obsesses with his complexion and his tabloid news, but he is also a genius player, an apt entertainer, although the taste he denotes is tawdry and grandiose, he is a nouveau-riche would make the rest of the world grudge. Though hobbled by my ignorance of Liberace, Douglas' incarnation is a self- challenging ambition and now an Emmy award is low-hanging fruit for him, and the make-up team too is awesome, both the face-lifting and AIDS-afflicting guises are eyeball-grabbing.

Matt Damon is his Adonis baby-boy Scott Thorson, albeit both him and Douglas are two- decades older than their characters in real age, it is a long-delayed meaty role for Matt, in lieu of the film is based on Scott's own version of the story, he hogs an ever longer screen time than Liberace, one might find him in lack of a sense of queerness in his rough-edginess (by comparison, Boyd Holbrock is more accurate in presenting his allure as another young flesh for Liberace), but the choice itself flouts the stereotype, and Damon runs the gamut of emotions from a naive boy falls for an elder man to a meds-addicted fop cannot get over with his philandering significant other, his best performance so far!

Two highlights from the supporting group, Rob Lowe, whose face undergoes an extreme elevation, plays deadpan humor at its best as the plastic surgeon; the legendary Debbie Reynolds, also stands out as Liberace's mother whose exotic accent and childish playfulness leave a strong impression from her brief stint in the film.

Out of my wayward obstinacy, I put Damon ahead of Douglas regarding the performance, but the film is a well-orchestrated drama, Soderbergh steers clear of any offshoots and centers on the troubled relationship which is tedious but typical in a mundane world. We sneer it on the screen whilst in reality we tread the same water again and again.

Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of Steven Soderbergh as I find a lot of his films quite boring. But this film really blew me away.

It has everything I want to see in a movie: great performances, true stories, same sex love, a little bit of nudity, but not too much, truthfulness, warmth, minimum amount of violence and good cinematography.

I have a newfound respect for Michael Douglas, who becomes completely unrecognizable (with a little help of good make up), gives it all in his performance as Liberace, and yet only just beat cancer a year earlier.

10 out of 10**

It seems bizarre that many people thought Liberace was camp but did not think he was gay.

As a young child when his television specials were shown I was aware that there was something effeminate about him even though I had no idea what homosexuality was. He even would have a female companion in these shows, a wink at the audience that he might be straight.

Behind the Candelabra is a film from Steven Soderbergh with Michael Douglas playing the entertainer as a reptilian predator of young men. Preening, vain, bejewelled, promiscuous and yet empty. A bit like the top of his head when he took off his toupee.

Matt Damon plays his teenage lover Scott Thorson, who is taken by a friend to see Liberace's Las Vegas show and then backstage is bemused by the attention lavished on him by the older star who showers him with gifts and love and eventually ejects him with little dignity as a newer, younger model enters the scene.

Of course the film is based on the book by Thorson whose own veracity has been questioned and whose account might be self serving. It is not helped that although Damon looks buff in the disco infused late 1970s era, at the age of 43 when this film was made, he was frankly too old to be playing the teenage Scott Thorson.

Douglas who for a period was a sex symbol with sex thrillers such as Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct is having a hoot camping it up as Liberace, not afraid to show his vulnerable side. Ultimately the only person he had a real relationship with was his mother played here by Debbie Reynolds.

I found the whole drama too shallow and maybe even too safe. After all there is nothing here we have not seen here before. It is just that the gold digger would normally be a young woman who is the plaything of a successful older man.