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Home > Categories > Movies > Drama > Behind the Candelabra review
Scott Thorson, a young bisexual man raised in foster homes, is introduced to flamboyant entertainment giant Liberace and quickly finds himself in a romantic relationship with the legendary pianist.
Swaddled in wealth and excess, Scott and Liberace have a long affair, one that eventually Scott begins to find suffocating. Kept away from the outside world by the flashily effeminate yet deeply closeted Liberace, and submitting to extreme makeovers and even plastic surgery at the behest of his lover, Scott eventually rebels.
When Liberace finds himself a new lover, Scott is tossed on the street. He then seeks legal redress for what he feels he has lost. But throughout, the bond between the young man and the star never completely tears.
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Review by: shellcruise (Shelley)
Dated: 20th of July, 2014
I was unsure what to expect from this movie. The only thing I knew was Michael Douglas won an award for it and on stage while accepting the award said 'he would not be standing there if it was not for Matt Damon'. Well I definitly agree this movie as amazing, the changes these two go through is nothing short of a miracle and they worked perfectly together.
I still am unsure how they managed to pull this movie off. Either it was due to one hell of a make-up artist or some incredible mask of some description. Matt Damon starts off the movie with his face and is rather pudgy, then he looses all this weight and bulks up. Thats fine get that part as actors bulk up all the time for their various roles what I don't get is the face lift. Liberace wanted Scott to look more like him so he had a face lift and wow Matts face completely changed he really looked like a different guy. Even Michael Douglas kept looking younger due to the face lifts he went under. It is truely mind blowing what they can do in Hollywood these days. Even Rob Lowe who played the plastic surgeon looked, well short of a word 'plastic'. His forehead and eyes looked like Barbie and he seemed stoned off his face for most of it. Brilliant transformation by them all.
The movie itself is eye opening. A niave Scott falls for the larger than life Liberace and slowly succumbs to his every whim including the face lift. To loose weight the doctor prescribes medication which in turn causes him to become adicted to drugs and he eventually looses his real identity. When Liberace tires of him and replaces him with a younger guy, Scott tries to sue to get what is owed to him but unfortunately does not win.
This movie has some great moments but it is rather slow and a tad boring in places. But because of the acting it keeps you watching as you are not sure what is going to happen next. When Liberace is on his death bed Michael's face leaves you gapping, he looks like an alien from Men In Black. After his death it is revealed that he died of HIV but miraculously it is revealed that Scott is healthy. The topic was touched on during the movie when it is revealed that Scott was always the pitcher and never the receiver - he thought it was gross and made him feel ill just thinking of it as he was not gay, just bi-sexual. The sex scenes are very subtle and you do not mind their shared intimacy.
A compelling watch.
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