A nice reminder that Hollywood hasn't forgotten to make entertaining dramas with movie stars and a decent director - although it was HBO, and not a studio, which funded this. It's a brighter version of Sunset Boulevard if you can imagine such a thing.
Michael Douglas is superb as Liberace, camp as a row of tents, brilliant on the keys, world weary, touching, smart, wryly funny... by no means a monster, but a man of immense talent struggling against a prejudicial society (one that discriminates against gays and the bald), capable of great kindness but corrupted by his power.
Matt Damon is equally good in a less showy role - a young, not particularly smart, earnest young man, who thinks he goes into this eyes wide open but ultimately can't handle it. There are also superb turns from Rob Lowe (his best movie performance yet... magnificent make up), Dan Aykroyd, Debbie Reynolds (nearly unrecognisable as Liberace's mother... she has a great scene involving a poker machine), and Scott Bakula.
Director Steven Soderbergh's fondness for soft lighting is perfectly at home in the world of Vegas tack. Excellent script from Richard La Gravenese, full of funny lines and human touches. My only real gripe was that it went on too long.
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