Directed by Steven Soderbergh

Starring: Michael Douglas, Matt Damon

Grade: B-

Liberace was a flamboyantly gay man that did everything in his power to hide it from the American public. In that respect, it’s a lucky thing for him that he lived during the times he did, because flamboyancy was expected, and encouraged, by musicians in the 70’s and 80’s, and homosexuality was something you just didn’t talk about in polite society. In Behind the Candelabra, Michael Douglas plays the famous piano player simultaneously as vulnerable and sociopathic. These two traits might seem incompatible, but consider the fact that the sociopath knows that if he’s found out, the fun’s over, and it makes more sense. Liberace is in love with himself, his sexuality and his lifestyle and if the word gets out about the first two, the third’s gone. This movie, not a biopic, is about the last parts of Liberace’s life and his relationship with a much younger man, Scott Thurson (Matt Damon). The film doesn’t attempt at being faithful to the reality of Liberace, because it’s only seen through the eyes of Thurson.

Scott Thurson is a teenager (a quick aside: Matt Damon is aging phenomenally well and looks like a much younger man than his 42 years, but under no circumstances would anyone believe he’s 17 years old and as good as he is in this role, the mere fact that he’s nowhere near the right age for the part reeks of a desire to get some more star power in the film) who was raised by foster parents and likes working with animals. When he meets Liberace, he’s taken away from all these things and set up with everything he could ever want, at least from a materialistic view. He mistakenly believes that Liberace wants a romantic partner, someone to share a life with, when all he really wants is a trophy boyfriend. The relationship is built on image and sex and nothing more, and the deeply disturbed psychosis of Liberace reveals itself when he quite literally tries to remake Scott in his own image. Thurson battles addiction, shame, and loneliness but never loses his genuine naivety and therefore never stops believing that Liberace’s love is honest. The musician’s true intentions are clear to us, the audience, much faster than they are to Scott.

Douglas and Damon are both good in their roles but a few of the minor characters come off more as caricature or simply going through the motions. Aykroyd, as Liberace’s manager, never looks like he’s having any fun at all, while Rob Lowe is so over the top it’s hard to take him seriously. Still, this movie rests solely on the shoulders of the two leads and they come through. Douglas’ Liberace has been putting on a show his entire life and now his life has become the show. A slightly surreal ending sequence suggests that even in death his show is going on. Damon’s Thurson is so naïve and sincere that even when he’s betrayed by his lover and everything is taken away from, his affection never dissipates. A phone call is all it takes to get him back to Liberace’s side.

The problem here is that the idea of Liberace’s entire existence being a show is really all there is to this movie. It’s an idea we accept rather quickly, and then that’s all there is. Since we only see him through the perceptions of Scott, we never really get to know him except through a couple personality traits and disturbing actions. That wouldn’t be terrible, except that we don’t really get to know Scott either. We know he’s young, he’s not terribly bright, he’s very good looking and he’s being manipulated by an older man. The story follows a pretty predictable arch and holds no real surprises and because of that it just doesn’t add up to anything more. This is not a bad movie by any means, but not anything with any staying power either.