Behind the Candelabra
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Richard LaGravenese
Based on: Scott Thorson‘s and Alex Thorleifson’s memoir
Cast: Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Debbie Reynolds, Cheyenne Jackson, Dan Aykroyd, Rob Lowe, David Koechner, Garrett M. Brown

Plot:
When young Scott Thorson (Matt Damon) meets Liberace (Michael Douglas), he is impressed – by his lifestyle, his money and status, his talent. Liberace, whose relationship with Billy (Cheyenne Jackson) is in its last moments, also takes to Scott and Scott quickly finds himself in Billy’s place. But living with Liberace sure isn’t easy.

Behind the Candelabra was entertaining and funny, had a great cast and awesome make-up. It probably isn’t the best movie of all times, but it is extremely enjoyable.

I have to say that I was really impressed by Michael Douglas. I don’t know when the last time was that he was that convincing and, frankly, hilarious. I also don’t think that I’ve seen Matt Damon quite as funny, at least outside of the I’m Fucking Matt Damon video. Rob Lowe, too, had me cracking up every time he came on screen (though I’m rather used to that, thanks to Parks and Recreation).

Generally the film had a nice sense of humor. It did poke fun at its characters a bit (which is not that hard), but never maliciously. And it took them seriously when it had to, so it never felt like a persiflage.

Apart from the acting and the sense of humor, what impressed me most was the make-up. Nobody looks like themselves, really and their faces change during the film, too. Yet they never look inauthentic, which was probably really hard.

The movie’s weakest point is its plotting. Not only does it get a bit too long, it’s also rather predictable in where it’s headed. But that didn’t really hurt and most of the time, it manages to easily keep up its entertainment level.

Summarizing: Fun.