A Single Man [Blu-ray]

Director: Tom Ford Tom Ford

Overview

George Falconer (Colin Firth) feels lost. Not only is he still grieving the death of his longtime companion, Jim (Matthew Goode), but he's also a Brit teaching English at a California college. He's so distraught with heartbreak that he's decided to kill himself, and proceeds to get all his affairs in order while carrying on with what otherwise would be a normal day. He gives an unusually forceful lecture to his class, revealing enough that a perceptive student, Kenny (Nicholas Hoult), senses something is wrong with the professor; collects his important financial papers from his bank; buys bullets for a handgun he owns; and makes a visit to his best friend (Julianne Moore). But throughout these methodical preparations, George keeps running into people -- a colleague's daughter, a attractive gay hustler, and the sympathetic Kenny -- who offer him glimpses of why he should stay alive. A Single Man is the directorial debut of legendary fashion designer Tom Ford.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/12/2021
UPC:	0031398329879
Original Release:	2009
Rating:	R
Source:	Lions Gate
Language:	English
Sales rank:	28,578

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Colin Firth	George Falconer
Julianne Moore	Charlotte
Matthew Goode	Jim
Nicholas Hoult	Kenny
Ginnifer Goodwin	Mrs. Strunk
Jon Kortajarena	Carlos
Paulette Lamori	Alva
Ryan Simpkins	Jennifer Strunk
Teddy Sears	Mr. Strunk
Paul Butler	Christopher Strunk
Keri Lynn Pratt	Blonde Secretary
Jenna Gavigan	Other Secretary #1
Alicia Carr	Other Secretary #2
Lee Pace	Grant
Adam Shapiro	Myron
Marlene Martinez	Maria
Ridge Canipe	Young Boy
Elisabeth Harnois	Young Woman
Erin Daniels	Bank Teller
Nicole Steinwedell	Doris
Tricia Munford	Cashier
Aaron Sanders	Tom Strunk
Abel Korzeniowski	Composer
Shigeru Umebayashi	Composer

Technical Credits

Tom Ford

David Scearce

Christopher Isherwood

Tom Ford	Director,Screenwriter,Producer
David Scearce	Screenwriter
Chris Weitz	Producer
Andrew Miano	Producer
Robert Salerno	Producer
Joseph Middleton	Casting
John E. Gray	Special Effects
Pat Statham	Stunts
Jeff Danoff	Stunts
Christopher Isherwood	Screenwriter
Lori Dovi	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that the characters in internationally celebrated fashion designer Tom Ford's directorial debut, A Single Man, are costumed impeccably, but it is surprising to see how assuredly he expresses their inner lives as well. George Falconer (Colin Firth) feels lost. Not only is he still grieving the death of his longtime companion, Jim (Matthew Goode), but he's also a Brit teaching English at a California college. He's so distraught with heartbreak that he's decided to kill himself, and proceeds to get all his affairs in order while carrying on with what otherwise would be a normal day. He gives an unusually forceful lecture to his class, revealing enough that a perceptive student, Kenny (Nicholas Hoult), senses something is wrong with the professor; collects his important financial papers from his bank; buys bullets for a handgun he owns; and makes a visit to his best friend (Julianne Moore). But throughout these methodical preparations, George keeps running into people -- a colleague's daughter, a attractive gay hustler, and the sympathetic Kenny -- who offer him glimpses of why he should stay alive. Ford -- with co-screenwriter David Scearce -- has fashioned a remarkably good screenplay from Christopher Isherwood's novel. George is the kind of man who's very comfortable with himself, but very uncomfortable at how others will react to him -- he has an understanding that some people will never accept him because of his sexuality. His inherent Britishness makes it easy for him to hide his pain from his associates, and Colin Firth inhabits the role with formidable grace and ease. It's pretty much impossible to believably play a clinically depressed character and make him charismatic at the same time, but Firth does it. Our hero isn't charismatic in the regular sense, but Firth expresses his intensity, intelligence, and deeply felt love for Jim with such naked honesty that it's impossible not to care for George -- to genuinely fear that he will choose death over life. Firth dominates the film, but he's far from the only actor who gets to shine. Moore has what amounts to an extended cameo, but her typical excellence shines through as Charley -- George's boozy best friend and onetime lover. Jon Kortajarena impresses as Carlos, a young hottie George flirts with while buying gin, and with a minimum of screen time, Matthew Goode makes us understand why George would be so devoted to Jim. Ford deserves much credit for the script, but his directorial instincts, while ambitious, don't necessarily serve the material. He overdirects, occasionally fading from color to black-and-white and back again during a single shot, and using vastly different lighting on characters that are in the same scene with each other. He's obviously good with the actors -- or, at the very least, smart enough to hire exceptionally talented performers and get out of their way -- but he pushes too hard on the visuals, something that afflicts many first-time directors, and something all the good ones outgrow. A Single Man offers evidence that Ford has a career in movies if he wants it, but it's most memorable for giving the criminally underappreciated Colin Firth the chance to reassert himself as one of the most talented actors of his generation.