A Single Man

Image courtesy of starworksny.com

What: Film.

Director: Tom Ford.
Actors: Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hoult, Matthew Goode.
Where: Curzon Mayfair Cinema, London.

It's hard to look past the immaculately dressed cast, the beautiful Mercedes Coupe, the delicately coloured cigarettes and the perfectly prepared Tanqueray Gin and Tonics to give an objective opinion on this film. However, once you can find a way round the effortless chic, the latest output of the Tom Ford product range has got a lot of soul.

Colin Firth deservedly picked up the best actor award at the BAFTA's on Sunday night for this performance as the gay college lecturer tormented by the death of his lover. And although Jeff Bridges' lifetime contribution to film will probably mean that Hollywood give him the nod at the Oscars this Sunday, Firth is funny, passionate and beautifully depressing in this career-defining role.

Nicholas Hoult, Matthew Goode and Julianne Moore provide an excellent supporting cast. Although Moore doesn't quite hit the heights she did in Boogie Nights she is still irresistible as a middle-aged ex-lover and friend to Firth's character. Hoult exhibits the perfect mix of behaviour you'd expect of his college student character. His youthful personality frustrates against Firth's maturity which reminds the viewer of his performance in About a Boy but later the bravado he demonstrated in Skins becomes evident. This won't go un-noticed in the Hollywood studios.

There's no doubt that Tom Ford has a future in the film industry. Let's face it, he has film starstatus himself and if Firth's BAFTA acceptance speech was as genuine as it sounded, he's the kind of guy that everyone wants to be around.

This is a season of Mad Men squeezed beautifully into 2 hours. And like Mad Men it's not just people who love TV and cinema that are going to take to this. The fashionista crowd are going to be all over it. I can see them now heading for the beach at Cannes come festival time, Tom Ford shades glinting in the sun and a not-so-well thumbed copy of Isherwood's A Single Man tucked under the arm.

Rating: 8/10

Comments: A beautiful story, beautifully acted and it all looks so Tom Ford-beautiful.