Behind the Candelabra is a true milestone for director Steven Soderbergh, as this is the last time (or so he says) that the director will be behind the camera for a feature-length film. Over the span of 24 years, Soderbergh has directed 26 films, several shorts, and one short-lived TV series, so this truly feels like the end of an era. Yet as a swan song, Behind the Candelabra does not necessarily see Soderbergh making his ‘grand’ exit; instead, he tones his style and technical deftness down, allowing Michael Douglas and Matt Damon and the screenplay by Richard Lagravenese to be the stars of the show.

Debuting this past weekend on HBO and seeing a theatrical release around Europe, including its premiere In Competition at the Cannes Film Festival, Behind the Candelabra follows the relationship between Liberace (Michael Douglas), the grand maestro of Las Vegas musical variety, and Scott Thorson (Matt Damon...