thinks that two releases as diverse as chalk and cheese this weekend, both headlined by Matt Damon, showcase the hardworking actor at his versatile best. As Max in Neill Blomkamp’s sci-fi actioner Elysium, a space station inhabited by the haves of the futuristic year 2154 while the have-nots struggle in a filthy and diseased mess on Earth, Damon the action figure springs to life. On the run from Elysium’s Secretary Delacourt (an underused Jodie Foster strutting in all her butch glory) for containing Elysium’s reboot programme in his cerebral matter, Damon inhabits and exhibits all the physicality and primal survival instinct in an apocalyptic future that is well-painted but no different from the similar films that Hollywood has churned out in recent years. As Scott Thorson in Steven Soderbergh’s supposed swansong Behind the Candelabra, Damon the thespian takes over. He is the boy toy of flamboyant pianist Liberace, and having been raised in foster homes and earning his living as an animal trainer on film sets, is at once seduced by the possibilities and excesses of the latter’s wealth and attention. Damon’s sensitive portrayal of the naïve and devoted young man who soon succumbs to drug abuse and paranoia is a beautiful understatement to Michael Douglas’ show-stopping, entirely believable and layered performance as the manipulative, gloriously vain but emotionally insecure entertainer, and it is Douglas who makes Liberace’s initial campiness and eventual decline ring with that much poignancy and regret. The couple’s flirts, fights, arguments and trysts are the film’s centrepieces and demonstrate the chemistry between the actors, complemented by lavish costumes, stunning make-up techniques and opulent set design. As with many of Soderbergh’s movies, the film is bathed in muted yellows and browns, and this successfully captures the feel of the 70s and 80s that define the latter part of Liberace’s career. It’s a shame that the film failed to get any major studio’s backing and had to be produced as a HBO movie, or the leads’ performances and those of stand-out supporting actors like Scott Bakula (as the mutual friend who first introduced the pair) and Rob Lowe (as the heavily botoxed cosmetic surgeon Dr Jack Startz) would have gotten more than their Emmy nods. I would want to like Elysium more because there is an intelligent concept behind the pedestrian script, but neither the story nor execution is as fresh as I’d hope. Behind the Candelabra, on the other hand, could have been cheesy OTT fluff, but the brave performances, assured direction and delicate balance between the outrageous and the reflective make it a riveting watch. (Elysium, 5; Behind the Candelabra, 7 rhubarb strawberry crumbles)
Posted on: Sun, 18 Aug 2013 16:00:49 +0000
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