What Do You Mean, He Was Gay!?

I watched the HBO movie, "Behind the Candelabra" and I have to admit it took me a little out of my comfort zone.

Michael Douglas, Debbie Reynolds, Matt Damon and Rob Lowe were excellent in their portrayals of Liberace, Liberace's mother, Liberace's plastic surgeon and Liberace's long time lover.

I didn't like Liberace, but not because he was gay. It was because he really couldn't play the piano that well.  It was all smoke and mirrors. And, the CLUNKERS!  I was as appalled as any teenaged girl who was taking piano lessons could be.   

What I found disturbing about the movie was not whether he was gay or not.   It was the sight of Matt Damon "getting busy" with  Michael Douglas.  That, and the makeup.  They all looked like caricatures of themselves.  Was that on purpose?  If it was, I may need to rethink the goal of the movie and watch it again and think of it as a spoof of  some sort. Surely not, right?  And, if it was a spoof, it would have been funnier, right?  No, I won't watch it again.  

And, what about all those celebrities who were going on and on in interviews before the movie aired about how wonderful Liberace was, how well loved, how generous, how kind.  That's not the person we saw in the movie.  In the film he came across as petty, shallow, self-centered, dishonest and even mean at times.  It seems he was almost as reclusive as Howard Hughes in many ways.  This movie did not flatter Liberace.

I have a feeling I'll have nightmares about it as scary as any I have ever had after watching a Steven King pic.

Stay tuned.