Review: A Single Man (Theatrical)

Wow. So this movie happened and I kind of went home from the theater feeling numb. Now after I saw "Precious" my body ached with pain, but after "A Single Man" I just wanted to curl up in my bed and hug my teddy bear. If you don't know, the movie is about George, a middle aged college professor played by Colin Firth whose lover of sixteen years, Jim, was killed in a car accident eight months before the action takes place. And on this day the movie takes place in George's life he has decided to kill himself because he is a lonely, miserable, single man who feels like he is drowning underwater and cannot breathe through his loneliness. At school that day he meets a young student who has an interest in him and comes on to George, who at first pushes him away, but through persistence, the boy, played by Nicholas Hoult, gets to George and...well...I don't want to spoil the rest of the movie, because I think you should all see this one.

So the story is good, but the movie as a whole is great. Everything from the cinematography to the score to the acting is quite close to perfection. It's hard to believe the movie was directed by a first time director, nevermind a director who is normally a fashion designer. Tom Ford directs the movie like a pro, and his designer eye lends itself beautifully to film. Whereas I feel sometimes film is all over the place and I don't quite get it, I got everything single thing in this movie. When I saw Stephen Sondheim lecture at Williams a couple weeks ago one of the things that really stuck in my head was when he said "Art is a conscious effort" and I think Tom Ford really took that to every frame, every shot, every composed moment in this film - it was all a piece of art that was consciously thought about, and I ate that up like the rice and beans I had for dinner tonight. The bleak colors and tinting to George's world when he was alone and lonely, and how the film and colors would literally subtly brighten up every time he made a connection with another person made me squeal with joy. It just worked! And the opening credits! Oh my, how amazing they were. A naked Colin Firth sinking deeper and deeper into this murky water while this pounding, driving score played. Beautifully sad.

The music overall was amazing - I'm not sure who wrote it, and I'm too lazy right now to look it up, but I could feel the darkness of the film in the music. I don't often notice the music of a movie, which is usually a good thing, it's not supposed to stand out - but maybe when it does stand out and makes an emotional impact, the music is super awesome. And it was in "A Single Man." OH! And the acting - well I haven't even touched on that yet! Colin Firth is so far my favorite to win, even though he probably won't. His best moment in a movie full of amazing ones was when he hears Jim has died - I could see his heart break on the screen. His chest heaved up and down and I was sucked into his pain. So much so I didn't even notice it was Mad Man's Jon Hamm on the other end of the phone! But Amy picked up on that. Firth really made George real, taking in each last moment of his last day of life - even when he creepily smelled a stranger's dog and said it smelled like buttered toast. Umm...sure it's creepy, but actually kind of really true. Sometimes my Sydney dog at home smells like toast too. Not that I smell her on purpose, but it's noticeable. She's cute and so it's forgivable. Also the scene where George tries to kill himself and cannot find a comfortable way of doing it KILLED ME. Not literally, but I was stifling laughter because it shouldn't have been funny, but it most definitely was. I think the other people in the theater just didn't have a sense of humor. And why Julianne Moore isn't nominated for an Oscar this year when she was nominated for every other award for this movie is beyond me. Her character Charley, George's hag, was absolutely pathetically in love with George and a big giant bitch because she couldn't do anything about it. The scene where she is spending so much time applying and perfecting the makeup for just one of her eyes so she can look pretty for George when they meet that night killed me. It's so tragic.

Obviously, if you can't tell by now I loved and adored the movie even though it made me tense and forget to breathe on occasion. It's a downer, with no happy ending, so don't go into it expecting to leave feeling "light in your loafers" but it comes highly recommended for me. I can't wait to revisit this one.

Patrick Approval Rating: 10/10

"A Single Man" @ imdb