Glorious and glitzy yet intimate and interesting

Rating: 8/10 (18 June 2013)

I can't stand Michael Douglas as an actor. His mere presence is enough to put me off a movie from the outset. So hearing that he was the star of Behind the Candelabra, playing Liberace, made my heart sink. Then the reviews started coming in, gushing about how good he, and the movie, were, how thoughtful and reflective his performance was, how Matt Damon worked as a his foil.
So I knew that I had to overcome my Douglas-phobia and venture forth boldly to my local cinema to see what all the fuss was about. And I have to say, the gushing reviews weren't wrong and Michael Douglas in particular nails a fantastic performance as Lee, resisting the temptation to play his role for cheap laughs or high camp and instead delivering a tender, human, thoroughly convincing portrayal of a man who combined complexity and simplicity it would appear as key character traits.
Matt Damon similarly inhabits his role as Scott, the slightly confused and bedazzled young lover, who learns the pain of the real world in a slowly creeping and shabby way. Their relationship is the key to this film, to the point that it almost struck me that what you're seeing is some kind of glamorous kitchen sink drama at heart, with an increasingly angry young man railing against the unfairness of everything, without having the ability to see how he is an architect of his own misfortune.
Support performances are all strong, even though they are also incidental to what's at the heart of the story in many ways. Rob Lowe in particular as the plastic surgeon shines and impresses with his bizarre visage. The look of the 70's is spot on, the script bowls along at a good pace, and the tender way that proceedings are wrapped up bought a tear to my eye and a lump to my throat. A beautiful heartfelt warm movie that will make you smile and lets you sneak behind the sequins to a real human show.