Kitsch extraordinaire plonks onto the small screen

Rating: 5/10 (11 September 2013)

This years Cannes Film Festival main competition nominee is somewhat of a rarity, as the Steven Soderbergh biopic was an HBO sponsored television movie. To some extent this shows a growing trend for top directors to opt out of the Hollywood model and experiment with TV, often with great results.
Based on the autobiographical book by Scott Thorson (portrayed in the movie by Matt Damon), the movie treads crystal, glitter and champagne-deep into the wild and wonderful world of kitsch extraordinaire Liberace (gleefully played out by Michael Douglas). Presented from the perspective of Liberace's most recognisable lover, Soderbergh delves into the extravagantly absurdly luscious lifestyle of Liberace together with his crazed mindset and restrictive destructive influence. Despite serving somewhat as to ridicule the famed artiste, Soderbergh does also present the more fragile, unfulfilled side of the spectacularly wealthy Las Vegas piano player, who attempted to live his life as if it was one of his on-stage spectacles. Thorson himself becomes intoxicated with the lifestyle, slowly supplanting his self-worth for a drug-like dependency on Liberace to the extent that he agrees for a plastic surgery, that would make the pair look related.
"Behind the Candelabra" was aptly heralded for the flawless portrayal of the flamboyant Liberace in what could well be Michael Douglas's best role and undoubtedly his most adventurous, posting him way outside his comfort zone. Coupled with a deliciously androgen Matt Damon and some superb bit part roles (especially by Rob Lowe as the otherworldly Dr. Jack Startz), Soderbergh excels in one department: character creation. Nonetheless once the characters waver on their initial freshness, even the sublime acting on hand fails to gloss over the lagging storytelling, which lacks both in emotion as well as in laughter, making it neither dramatic nor comedic, instead an amalgamate of unfulfilled potential. Much to my chagrin this TV docudrama (unfortunately it always possesses the characteristic TV feel to it) on the delightful life and times of Liberace and his consorts, dangles a big fish in front of the audience, but soon tasks patience falling into a monotone rhythm, which directs us towards the inevitable conclusion.
The mundanity of everyday life does serve to push the point, that despite all the effort Liberace places on lavish and opulent surroundings, human life tends to fold back into the ordinary, where in turn the joys of life truly lie. Here however the focus on the exterior causes the inside to ring hollow, as Thorsten receives no true fulfilment in his decision to live with Liberace, his de facto sugar daddy, while Liberace gets so lost in the self-creation myth, that he fails to attach true meaning to those closest to him.
"Behind the Candelabra" does shine at times, much like the artist in question, but the overwhelming banality that drags the plot and lingers throughout the movie, coupled with the luscious extravagant performances, just might not fit the bill for many viewers, even if the initial delight of seeing Douglas's restrained mimicry and grins makes it a movie truly worth at least the effort of watching.