DVD & Blu-ray review: Behind the Candelabra (15)

Steven Soderbergh DVD/Blu-ray (118mins)

Steven Soderbergh's last-movie hurrah is a muted biopic about two needy lovers, an ageing Liberace (Michael Douglas) and his bulky toyboy, Scott Thorson (Matt Damon). Impressionable Scott, after being entranced by one of the pianist's Las Vegas shows, becomes Liberace's live-in lover. The young buck is soon persuaded to rearrange his face to look like his keeper's (Rob Lowe is a highlight as a venal plastic surgeon) and their dysfunctional relationship gradually unravels. It's a detached, rather icy drama, but the acting is excellent, particularly Douglas as Liberace.