Runtime:
118 minutes
Directed
by: Steven Soderbergh
Starring:
Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Rob Lowe
From:
HBO Films
Yep,
I managed to find a copy of this on YouTube (but shhh on that) and as
I heard a number of people I know online talk about the movie (just
about all of them dug it) I had to see it, and take a short break
from the Foreign Film June deal-io I am doing. There's certainly a
lot to say about this. I'll start off with how Soderbergh says (at
least for the time being) this is his last-ever film as he is fed up
with Hollywood and how the studios did not want to make and release
this due to is content, despite the talent involved, because it's
about a homosexual relationship. I don't always dig him but I do
agree with Steven's views on independent film and how the Hollywood
studio system is now pretty ridiculous with how corporate it is and
how it's filled with bean-counters.
Also,
there's the flamboyant Liberace, who in hindsight... well, it seems
so obvious now that he was a homosexual. He's a talented musician for
sure and it was an extravagant show he put on which helped him for a
time be the highest paid entertainer in the world. I managed to find
a video on Youtube of the intro to his Las Vegas show from the early
80's which consists of the intro that the audiences saw then you see
the first few minutes of the man himself on stage, talking to the
audience. Here's the video, where you get to see the real Scott
Thorson as the guy who literally drives Liberace on stage in a Rolls
Royce. That comes across as awkward now, given that of course it was
Thorson who wrote the book this movie is based upon, all about the
relationship he says he had with the legendary entertainer. Anyhow,
the video shows that Liberace on stage seemed like a charming guy who
enjoyed interacting with the audience and making them happy.
While
he's gotten into legal problems since then (and also has colon
cancer) I will presume that much of what he says is true. Sure, he
recently said that he had a relationship with Michael Jackson and
that Liberace had unprotected sex with guys after he knew he had
AIDS. I am not sure about that but otherwise I presume that the story
he tells isn't fiction.
You
get to see “Lee” (what Liberace always called himself) meet up
with Scott backstage after a show, due to Scott Bakula's character
Bob Black; Bob Black looks hilarious, as he has a mop of hair,
dressed for the late 70's era, and has a huge mustache. Lee quickly
falls in love with Scott, who was only 17 at the time and he was 57.
Things are fine at first, but after Lee convinces him to get plastic
surgery from shady plastic surgeon Jack Startz (Rob Lowe, who is also
made to look hilarious; that character had too much work done on his
own face), Scott begins a drug habit and well, that's when trouble
starts between the two and eventually they split, although they did
reunite before Lee passed away due to complications from AIDS.
Overall,
I enjoyed the movie, for sure. I mean, even more so than I was
expecting. All the performances were quality and given the talent
involved it's pretty ridiculous this only got a theatrical release
overseas in various countries and not in the United States. Besides
the people already mentioned, there are small roles from Mike
O'Malley, David Koechner, Nicky Katt, Paul Reiser, and even Debbie
Reynolds. No wonder why Soderbergh is fed up with the studio system.
There's also a nice musical score from Marvin Hamlisch, who passed
away last year shortly after doing said score.
The
movie seems fair to both of the leads; they both had their good
moments and their bad moments. I had no idea what to expect going in
but I am glad it was put on YouTube, albeit illegally, as I don't
subscribe to HBO. I am also glad it was serious and it wasn't campy,
as it certainly would have been easy to do such a thing. I'll be back
Tuesday night.
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