If this is Steven Soderbergh's last film, as he claims, but most disbelieve, then it's not a bad one for him to go out on. Having directed just about every type of film under the sun, he now genre hops into romantic-drama-biopic. Behind the Candelabra (which is based on the book of the same name) follows a babe in the woods, Scott Thorson (writer of said book, and played by Matt Damon), as he gets caught up in the bright bright world of piano virtuoso Liberace (played by a never better Michael Douglas).
It's a little predictable in the early going: Scott catches Liberace's eye, is slowly seduced, and is then smothered with fine things to keep him from thinking of going elsewhere. It's a twist of sorts, since it'd usually be an innocent young femme being seduced; but the story beats are still too familiar. It's only when the couple settle into routine as they grow content (and plump) that the film connects. Maybe because, for the briefest of moments, the two were relatable in their rotund happiness. This contentment doesn't last long though.
Ultimately, even with some of the fascinatingly strange turns the film takes - particularly with the extreme plastic surgery subplot, where Scott's identity is practically erased - neither character is interesting enough to warrant two hours of screen time. The defining characteristics of the two are: Liberace is utterly self-involved, and Scott is quite handsome. Which is fine, but it hardly makes them worth investing in.
Despite that, I was entertained. The cameos from Dan Aykroyd and Rob Lowe are fantastic, and Michael Douglas would easily have been an Oscar contender if the film had been release in theatres in the US (it was broadcast on HBO - who were the only ones willing to produce it). It's not an easy part, playing someone who was so staggeringly flamboyant, yet was never (or rarely) suspected of being gay. It's a performance that could easily turn into a caricature, but somehow he stays just on the right side of that line.
Overall: 6.5/10
No comments:
Post a Comment