Review: A Single Man

Tom Ford's directorial debut, A Single Man, opens in Austin on Friday. Ford and David Scearce adapted the script from a novel by Christopher Isherwood, whose "Berlin Stories" were the basis for Cabaret. At times I wondered if I was watching Sally Bowles and her young British friend (the name changes depending on the version) if they had travelled back to London together at the end.

A Single Man is structured on a day in the life of George (Colin Firth), a British professor living and working in 1962 Los Angeles. As he proceeds through his day, he flashes back to memories of Jim (Matthew Goode), his longtime lover, who died suddenly in a car crash. It becomes evident that George is feeling too crushed by his loss of Jim to want to live any longer, and intends to take his own life -- this will be his last day. His friend Charley (Julianne Moore) seems to realize something is amiss and invites him over for evening drinks; his student Kenny (Nicholas Hoult) also is sensitive to his professor's mood.

The focus in A Single Man is obviously on character, especially George, but the storyline is a little too gimmicky to succeed. The suspense of whether he'll kill himself is rather flimsy, and the resolution, which may have worked in print, is eyeroll-inducing on film (plus, I had pretty much figured it out).

Firth is excellent; he's not afraid to let his character look like he's growing old, but underneath the tweedy, middle-aged professor we can catch glimpses of a still-attractive man. Julianne Moore plays the boozy aging floozy perfectly to stereotype; it was hard for me to care much about her character. Nicholas Hoult is almost otherworldly as Kenny, which works well with the general tone of the film.

A Single Man is beautifully photographed, catching a dreamy early 1960s look, as though the whole thing is a flashback, not quite real. The water scenes are particularly effective. And I loved the house in which George lives, with its walls made almost entirely of glass -- perhaps it was a little too symbolic at times, and rather fancy for a college professor, but I have a weakness for lusting after amazing houses in movies.

I feel like Firth's portrayal of George deserved a stronger, more dynamic script with a different ending. A Single Man is worth seeing for Colin Firth, but be prepared to tolerate some almost ridiculous scenes and dialogue along with it.