incredible performances by Damon and Douglas

Rating: 7/10 (1 February 2014)

I had no idea about this film before seeing it, although of course I had heard of Liberace and knew a little about his life/death. I cannot believe that people didn't know he was gay. This film, you find out, is the autobiography of Scott Thorson, Liberace's lover and it seems, the love of his life, who was played by Matt Damon. I think that everything Damon does is totally incredible and one of the best actors out there and he played the role convincingly, dedicatedly and with great courage. It was an exposing and difficult role, as was Michael Douglas' and both of them were superb. Douglas seemed to inhabit Liberace and gave the role 100%. Support actors Rob Lowe, Dan Aykroyd, Scott Bakula, and Debbie Reynolds were all superb. I barely recognised Aykroyd and Rob Lowe as the Plastic Surgeon looked ridiculous but was committed with all the facial taping and prostheses he must have been wearing, Matt Damon too post surgery. I don't know how Michael Douglas' facial effects were done but they were amazing. Damon's prosthetics were a little more obvious but still amazingly convincing. The costumes and sets were something spectacular but then there was a lot to work with given the eccentric flamboyance of Liberace himself.
The film covers some intimacies of Liberace and Thorson's life but it was remarkably discrete with regards to the sexuality of the two, and I was impressed by that. There is some bad language and sexual reference that is quite gratuitous and drug use but it could have been a lot more overt. Damon and Douglas clearly were very professional and worked well together to be so discrete, covering their mouths for kisses (ie showing the passion and sexuality of a kiss but without the actors presumably having to do it, and the censor-certification for TV only release in the US) and decent camera angles etc.
There was much to enjoy in the film, some comedy and happy moments seeing the burgeoning relationship and love between the two main characters, but also a lot of emotional scenes, sadness and feelings of sympathy seeing Thorson's descent into drug problems and their relationship failing. I felt for the characters such was the investment created by the superior acting. It is an exposé film, eye-opening and as a biopic it is a grand and rather ostentatious success.
Bottom line, Damon and Douglas were superb and carried a film with rather difficult subject matter that I wouldn't recommend to everyone.