A Single Man
A Single Man Image
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Metascore
77 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 35 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.3 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 128 Ratings

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0 out of 10
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  • Starring: Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode
  • Summary: Set in Los Angeles in 1962, at the height of the Cuban missile crisis, A Single Man, is the story of George Falconer, a 52 year old British college professor who is struggling to find meaning to his life after the death of his long time partner, Jim. George dwells on the past and cannot see his future as we follow him through a single day, where a series of events and encounters, ultimately leads him to decide if there is a meaning to life after Jim. George is consoled by his closest friend Charley, a 48 year old beauty who is wrestling with her own questions about the future. A young student of George’s, Kenny, who is coming to terms with his true nature, stalks George as he feels in him a kindred spirit. (The Weinstein Company)… Collapse

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 35
  3. Negative: 1 out of 35
  1. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Phillips
    100
    Some films aren't revelations, exactly, but they burrow so deeply into old truths about love and loss and the mess and thrill of life, they seem new anyway. A Single Man is one such film, one of the best of 2009
  2. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Deborah Young
    80
    Sensitive and stylish.
  3. Salon.com
    Reviewed by: Stephanie Zacharek
    60
    It doesn't matter if the movie around Firth is a good one or a lousy one: Either way, I wouldn't be able to explain how an actor could come up with a performance as subtle, in both its heartbreak and its magnificence, as this one is.
  4. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: Keith Uhlich
    20
    Christopher Isherwood’s seminal queer novel deserves a film adaptation that captures both its sense of place and its activist spirit. Cowriter-director Tom Ford settles for the glossy ephemera of a Vanity Fair cover spread.

See all 35 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 41
  3. Negative: 4 out of 41
  1. GaleG.
    10
    All Colin Firth all the time. And, of course, he's perfect. Beautiful movie about living through a paralyzingly ugly part of life: loss.
  2. istanbul
    8
    this movie may suffer from being too "fabulous" and sleek, but its heart is in the right place and Firth makes sure that nobody loses sight of that. undoubtedly a great debut for any first-time director.… Expand
  3. AnthonyK
    5
    Unfaithful shallow adaptation of an icon of 20th fiction portraying a sad, sullen gay pity party ending in death. Firth was magnificent, as well as the supporting cast, but Ford is not a screenwriter.… Expand
  4. joel
    2
    The film borrows its strengths from other filmmakers but hasn't a voice or personality of its own. Self-conscious and self-absorbed direction makes for a long and ponderous "small" film. Coil Firth is striking for his understated (at times narcotized) performance that helps to provide moments of grounding for a movie in a state of constant free-fall.… Expand

See all 41 User Reviews

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