Fine Film on Lee's Final Years

Rating: 8/10 (20 November 2013)

It was initially disappointing to hear the difficulty encountered in trying to find a Hollywood studio to take on this project. When HBO finally signed on, thanks to Jerry Weintraub, and to be a made-for-TV movie, expectations for its success dropped a bit.
However, as it turned out, this was just the right sponsorship for a candid dramatization of the final decade of a great entertainer's life and career. Steven Soderbergh's direction is sharp and honest. Michael Douglas outdoes himself as Liberace, creating a full blooded character, never a caricature. This is a difficult acting feat, since the subject was such an ostentatious showman.
Matt Damon likewise does a fine job as Scorr Thorson, and Debbie Reynolds is virtually unrecognizable as Lee's mother. The production values are excellent, and the film emerges as a genuine success..
The film rightly won the Critic Choice TV Award, TCA Award and numerous Emmys, all in keeping with the project's commendable quality production.