There is a sucker born every minute, and too many suckers crave a phony life.

Rating: 7/10 (10 May 2016)

Living life like Norma Desmond did in the silent era, Liberace didn't have to wait until being a has-been who gets his young stud while still in the limelight. Michael Douglas gives one of his most memorable performances as the flamboyant piano impresario whose outlandish outfits, expensive jewelry and lovable "Mr. showmanship" act couldn't prove to certain types of audience members that he was as gay as Yogi's picnic basket. The presence of bi- sexual Matt Damon in Liberace's audience creates a long-term relationship that will ultimately gets a ton of legal press, resulting in one of the first celebrity deaths from HIV.
Would Damon's Scott be interested in Liberace if it was just Walter "Lee" Liberace, that mid-western kid who played in saloons and ended up famous all over the world? That is up to the viewer to decide from this take on his life as told from Scott's angle. This gives an inside look into the life if an obvious unhappy man who is surrounded by obvious hanger on's, and if Damon really loves him, as is indicated here, it took Liberace missing a lot of frogs to find his prince. But princess Lee gets bored, and it's time to turn in his upright for a baby grand. By this time, Damon has become so used to the lavish lifestyle that giving it up is worse than going through drug withdrawal, although it is apparent that if he didn't initially love Liberace at first, he has grown to love him, or at least need him, by that point.
Liberace, as played by Douglas, is queeney, charming, aggravating, self-centered, controlling, perverse and condescending. Damon falls reluctantly falls into the crazy world that Liberace pulls him into and the end of that universe is a human apocalypse from which retribution seems the only recourse. Seen briefly are Debbie Reynolds (unrecognizable as Liberace's mother), Dan Ackroyd as his arrogant agent and Broadway star Cheyenne Jackson as the protégé obviously filled with hatred towards Damon as he moves in while Jackson is pushed out. Rob Lowe is creepy as the plastic surgeon that takes over Damon's life and basically gets him hooked on all kinds of pills. Scott Bakula is authentic as the acquaintance of Liberace's who picks up Damon in the opening scene and remains his biggest confidante over the years. This gives a negative (but believable) look at the truth about certain stereotypes, over- played in the press to create all sorts of controversy at the height of the AIDS crisis.
Yes, this is an expose on the unraveling of the public image of one of the great entertainers whose squeaky clean image was known by many and denied by his biggest fans, and how the manipulation of an allegedly innocent young man destroyed his life, ironically on Academy Awards night where Liberace performed the best score nominees. It's all scandal sheet documented, with the Liberace estate brought down with his private life being revealed throughout the hearing. Well acted and beautifully filmed, it's still a sad expose on how celebrity allegedly desires can destroy one's own soul. For the devoted Catholic Liberace, his claim that God gave him special dispensation to be gay is a sign of his self absorption and may be upsetting to conservative Christians who would probably avoid this movie anyway. Liberace's sexuality is shown in great detail, with visits to Silver Lake's Circus of Books (back in the day of back rooms and anonymous sex) while wearing his furs being quite sleezy indeed. Whatever the truth is won't diminish Liberace's legacy, but the fact remains that the world was fooled by Liberace's closeted life.