A Single Man
Starring: Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hoult
Director: Tom Ford
Rating: **** (out of 5)
Summary: After the death of his partner, English Professor George (Colin Firth) struggles to cope with the loneliness and decides to take his own life...
Colin Firth is loved by all women of a certain age but he's always boring. His face is always boring, his mannerisms are always boring and dare I say it, most of his films are always boring. Sometimes I look at him and think he has the capacity to make time stand still, like being in a near death experience. Your movie going experiences flash before your eyes as you try and remember anything you've seen that is more boring than the Colin Firth movie your currently watching - your mind harks back to Bridget Jones or even worse, Dorian Gray. If i'm not making this clear enough - he's always boring.
But despite Firth's uncanny ability to have the personality of a baked potato and the emotional resonance of a dead ant, his performance in A Single Man held my attention through the entire 100 minutes. He was made for this role and I doubt he will give another performance of this calibre. That stiff upper lip and stuffy imperialistic sensibility that embody all his other roles are used to fantastic effect, masking a man that feels deep pain for the lover he has lost and engages in the shadow of death that covers the life he leads.
This postmodern take on the American way of life is nothing new - at times the subversion between white picket fences and bomb shelters reminded me of Blue Velvet - but while Lynch reveled in sexual perversion and the grotesque, Tom Ford endulges his palet of colours in the beauty the world holds. As a beautiful sunset rains across the city we're reminded that the colours are only created by pollution - but that doesn't make them any less alluring.
The allure in this case is personified by college student Kenny (Nicholas Hoult). Sporting an unconvincing yank accent it could be said that he's the weak link in the film but then Julianne Moore rolls in giving her impression of a lovesick Patsy from Absolutely Fabulous and steals those honours. Maybe in another film, Moore and Hoult's performances would have been passable but up against Colin Firth they fall into the background like a piece of George's expensive and stylish furniture.
A Single Man has a single acting nod at this year's Oscars but it deserves alot more. It's fantastically directed, photographed and, as to be expected, the costumes are second to none. Who would have thought that Tom Ford's muse would be Colin Firth?
I thought Nicholas Hoult was good and I bought his accent but whatever he's in or however good he is there will always be a close up where his lips ever so slightly tremble and his eyes ever so slightly dart about a bit (but ever so slightly you understand) and he will always be Marcus from About a Boy with no shoes on in the rain.
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