9 Criminally Underrated 2013 Films You Probably Missed

3. Behind The Candelabra

Few 2013 movies were as aptly cast, or as brilliantly acted as Steven Soderbergh's apparent swansong, Liberace biopic Behind The Candelabra, and few were as unjustly ignored. Part of that no doubt comes down to the fact that it was made for TV, and thus wasn't able to be given the traditional marketing kick that its phenomenal cast deserved, and the other part might well be that Liberace's story isn't exactly the kind that immediately demands the attention that say a Mandela biopic (however poor) would. As the titular flamboyant star, Michael Douglas was incredible, playing grotesque and ultra-camp without ever compromising on charm or that irresistible, sometimes intangible star quality that has run so richly through his career. As a portrait of excess and demonisation, his Liberace sits nicely, hand-in-hand (or hand-cheekily-on-backside) with Gordon Gekko, but the climactic act of the film, in which everything appears to have spiralled out of control, showed the other side of the character, and allowed Douglas to show off his more relatable side. In support, Matt Damon and particularly Rob Lowe shone almost as brightly, and the film was very much the excellent sum of its exceptional parts. Why You Didn't See It Despite the fact that "made for TV' no longer has to mean "don't watch this EVER," the label still carries some stigma, and the idea of a Liberace biopic (even with the genius cast) was always going to be a difficult sell.