Behind-the-Candelabra-UK-Quad-PosterSteven Soderbergh’s Behind the Candelabra is finally arriving in UK theatres this Friday, having debuted on HBO across the Atlantic last weekend. And if Craig’s five-star review from Cannes is anything to go by, it’s essential viewing at the cinema this month.

All the talk since its debut has been how leading man Michael Douglas will be ineligible for the Oscars, and the buzz surrounding his and Matt Damon’s performances has been incredibly promising.

Since the film is getting a theatrical release on our shores, it will fortunately be eligible for our highest honours at the BAFTAs. And it will be interesting to see if Douglas will indeed become a contender towards the end of this year and the start of next.

With its theatrical release date so close, a new clip from the film has surfaced on MSN, giving us a look at a rather worried Damon being asked to have surgery to make himself look more like Douglas’ Liberace.

Before Elvis, before Elton John, Madonna and Lady Gaga, there was LIBERACE – infamous pianist, outrageous entertainer and flamboyant star of stage and television. A name synonymous with showmanship and extravagance, he lit up every stage he performed on, as bright as his candelabras and with a unique flair that gained him millions of devoted fans across the globe.

In the summer of 1977, handsome young stranger Scott Thorson walked into Liberace’s dressing room and, despite their age difference and seemingly different worlds, the two embarked on a secretive five-year love affair. To the outside world Scott was an employee, at most a friend, but behind closed doors his life with Liberace was an intense rollercoaster of hedonistic fun, flamboyance and excess.

Starring Michael Douglas as Liberace and Matt Damon as Scott Thorson, BEHIND THE CANDELABRA tells the fascinating true story of their glamorous life together and their tempestuous relationship — from the glitz and glamour of the early days in Las Vegas to their very bitter and public break-up.

Michael Douglas and Matt Damon are front and centre here as Liberace and the young Scott Thorson. And the two are joined by a great cast, starring alongside Dan Aykroyd, Rob Lowe, Debbie Reynolds, Scott Bakula, Tom Papa, and Paul Reiser.

Soderbergh is directing from a script penned by Richard LaGravenese (Water for Elephants), based on Thorson’s autobiography, Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace.

Behind the Candelabra has had its HBO debut in the US, and will be released in the UK this Friday, 7th June.