Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Based on the autobiographical novel, the tempestuous 6-year relationship between Liberace and his (much younger) lover, Scott Thorson, is recounted.
Behind the Candelabra is elevated primarily by its extraordinary central performances — Michael Douglas delivers a career-best turn as Liberace, with Matt Damon equally impressive as Scott Thorson. The film captures the gaudy, excessive world of Liberace with committed detail, though Soderbergh's direction feels occasionally workmanlike rather than inspired. The plot follows a fairly conventional rise-and-fall relationship arc, and while the subject matter carries inherent novelty — a frank, intimate portrait of a gay celebrity relationship kept hidden during his lifetime — the storytelling itself doesn't push formal boundaries. The ending is emotionally effective but somewhat predictable given the biographical nature of the material.