Jed from Toronto

I decided to watch this film on HBO because I thought it would be a hoot - one of those catastrophic and pretentious productions which are so laughable. Within 20 minutes I realized that the film was rather important. Michael Douglas captures the late Liberace's mannerisms and voice with astonishing ease. He is quite stellar in his performance, and I see him now in a new light. Matt Damon is excellent as Scott, his protégé. The personages involved are deeply complex, even if one is only familiar with the contemporary "National Enquirer" reports one realizes their is something one can not quite understand about "Lee & Scott's" relationship. Douglas and Damon are brilliant in delving into these characters. They are unrecognizable, at times, from the familiar roles we all know of them. I think the film well worth watching. As a bonus, Matt Damon shows his bum on several occasions, for those who are interested; if not, one cannot help but be interested in the wonderful performances from two of Hollywood's great stars! A courageous undertaking well done indeed!!!

This film should have been SO MUCH better, what with the lavish costumes and scenery (which truly rate a 10)and the obviously huge budget available. I don't know what idiot decided that rockabilly went along with the aristocratic indulgences of the 1780s, but someone should have rolled up a script and rapped him/her sharply on the nose. The music is jarring and would be considered badly sang/performed in a film of any genre. I found myself muting many scenes because of the horrid score. The acting is not below par, it's the script that often fails the actors. It does however show, accurately I think, the detachment of the royals and other assorted nobility from the lives of the ordinary folk who would eventually rise up and have all their heads on a pike. It is worth a watch for those who are interested in the remarkable costuming of the period, and the careless decadence of those who were arrayed in such garments while their nation literally starved.

This is a film that is miraculous in one sense - it will cure sleeplessness. A man and woman lost in a forest, fleeing something, is obviously intended to be a grand allegory of the "struggle" of the French "oppressed" of Quebec against the English "fascists" it comes across as crass, ridiculous and I would say humorous except there is absolutely nothing in this film which will bring a smile. The acting is simply terrible, I truly believe that much of this movie was contrived on the spot moments before the camera rolled - there is no other explanation for the silliness. Do avoid this reeking mess of a film at all costs! A miserable experience.