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Parents' Guide to

A Single Man

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Mature drama about loss is visually striking but hollow.

Movie R 2009 99 minutes
A Single Man Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 15+

Based on 1 parent review

June50
June50 Adult
July 25, 2010
age 15+

Promising directorial debut

May contain some spoilers. Its not a great movie but I think its good and more than just nice to look at. Colin Firth gives a great performance which alone is worth seeing this film for. Although not all of Ford's visual techniques work he shows a lot of promise for a first time director, I'm interested to see what he does next. In terms of the the things that typically earn a film an R rating, sex, nudity, violence, there is nothing here that has not been featured in a PG-13 movie. There's nudity but not in a sexual context, there's only a little kissing and one somewhat disturbing shot of a dead body. I guess what earns the film its R rating is the theme of suicide and some drug references that parents with teens may be concerned about. I rate this films as iffy for 15 and above.
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What's the Story?

George (Colin Firth), a British professor teaching in 1960s Los Angeles, is bereft. With his beloved longtime boyfriend, Jim (Matthew Goode), gone -- killed in a car accident -- it's increasingly difficult for George to find a reason to go on. Based on Christopher Isherwood's novel of the same name, A SINGLE MAN follows George from morning to night at his job, during run-ins with his neighbor (Ginnifer Goodwin), at dinner with his best friend (Julianne Moore), and through time spent with a student (Nicholas Hoult) -- a fateful day when he tries to arrive at the meaning of it all and decide what his future holds ... if anything.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (4 ):

It's no surprise that Tom Ford, the visionary behind the magnificently tailored Gucci line, has fashioned a stunning film. Every scene is elegantly framed, lit, and hued; every character is sophisticatedly turned out. In this way, A SINGLE MAN is a singular feat, easily one of the handsomest movies made in 2009. But though he displays a sure hand as director, Ford's approach to the material rests a bit too heavily on the visual and too gently on the emotional -- surprising, considering that the film is about a man deeply in mourning. Somehow it all comes off a bit clinically -- life here is too beautifully tragic. You wonders what kind of heft the story would have carried had it not been pintucked so carefully.

That said, Firth is remarkable as a man in love but lost. His restrained-but-obvious grief rescues the movie somewhat from its too-pretty perch. Nobody does "damaged hysteria" better than Moore, but it's too reminiscent of her other roles (Boogie Nights, for instance), which makes it less potent. It's clear that Ford has respect for his actors' gifts, but the ending isn't credible, and the storytelling is oddly removed and stripped of authentic melancholy.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how the movie portrays loss. What would it be like to be in George's shoes? Have you ever lost a loved one? Do George's feelings and reactions seem realistic?

  • How do society's norms during the time the movie takes place affect George's sense of isolation? How have (or haven't) things changed since then?

Movie Details

  • In theaters: December 11, 2009
  • On DVD or streaming: July 6, 2010
  • Cast: Colin Firth , Julianne Moore , Nicholas Hoult
  • Director: Tom Ford
  • Inclusion Information: Female actors
  • Studio: Weinstein Co.
  • Genre: Drama
  • Run time: 99 minutes
  • MPAA rating: R
  • MPAA explanation: some disturbing images and nudity/sexual content
  • Last updated: June 20, 2023

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