Julianne Moore plays Charley; headboard in Laura Ashley Tilbury in LapisAfter waiting and waiting and waiting to see A Single Man, I finally found it playing at the beach. We happened to get away for a break this weekend to find the only playing time was 9:45 pm which is something nearing my bedtime and way past my husband's snorey pre-bedtime on the couch.
Anyway, I convinced him to go with me so we went to Fins for dinner to bide some time. I had this:
Lovely Bruschetta with mucho garlic and red onionAnd this:
And two of these:
Evolution Craft No. 3 IPAWhich may explain why I may or may not have fallen asleep during this:
I love Colin Firth and Julianne Moore and this movie was a beautiful thing to behold but I never really felt the sense of despair I should have and was bored and, frankly, the ending sort of pissed me off because I thought it was predictable. I expected so much more...Did you see it? Love it? Hate it? Comments?
22 comments:
I will take this review as "don't waste your money." Thanks in advance.
i did not spend acutal money on seeing it in the theatre. would rather spend fake money seeing it on demand. you know..since i don't actually open my wallet and fork over the money for a pay per view..anyway..
i feared this movie would be too self indulgent.
How disappointing! I had the same experience with Alvin and the Chipmunks The Squeakquel, but minus the high expectations and the drinks. It doesn't seem right to pay $10 for a nap.
Bummer because Colin Firth is HOT, and even hotter in those glasses.
I agree. I saw it and thought Colin Firth totally brilliant and well deserving of his Oscar nomination but the movie itself, although beautiful to behold, felt like one long Gucci add. The plot did not hold my attention and I think it would have been better shot as a short film. Just my opinion....xv
Thank you, all, for prior warning. It's going way down on my priority list. Oh, and I love the "fake money" explanation, lol.
Gorgeous - You know that no matter what you say I have to see it. Who among us can stay completely away from the trifecta of perfection that is Colin Firth, Julianne Moore & Tom Ford? I think you just drank too much and it left you a bit tired & cranky. In any event, please pop over to my blog and grab your Sunshine Award - I'm addicted to your blog and love every post.
Thanks!
Holly
i cannot wait to see this... i must go this week... i adore colin and julianne and i have heard tom ford's styling and creative juices are in top form throughout.. congratulations on your award!!! have a wonderful week xx pam
Oh, good, Vicki, I'm glad I wasn't alone.
And, SGM, it was $20: $10 per nap (2 people - John slept through the entire thing).
Seriously though, Holly, I am not trying to dissuade anyone from seeing it. Let me know what you think. And thanks for the award!
I haven't yet seen it, although I did watch Mr. Firth receive the BAFTA for best actor last night. I've heard both good things and not so good things about the film. The chief complaint seems to be a certain sterile quality about the emotion of the piece. I may wait and rent it.
Darn!! Ive been wanting to see it. Maybe all just rent it b/c ive got to admit that headboard looks amazing!!
www.bazaarofserendipity.blogspot.com
I haven't seen it yet...I'm not sure if it will even play here. Probably will have to wait for the DVD, so at least I can get bored and fall asleep in my own bed.
Love the fabric on the headboard!
I have not seen it & hate that I have not, but now think that I'll opt for renting it instead. I know I'd love the set design & wardrobe but it sounds like the material is questionable?? But your pre-movie festivities look quite tasty!
Hey, have a great week ahead!
I have not seen it & hate that I have not, but now think that I'll opt for renting it instead. I know I'd love the set design & wardrobe but it sounds like the material is questionable?? But your pre-movie festivities look quite tasty!
Hey, have a great week ahead!
It looked very visually interesting but I am easily bored in movies and it looked really slow and so potentially boring. Glad I'm not alone. I guess I should just check out the screenshots!
I will rise up in defense of the movie. I loved it! I can't believe you didn't think he was going to bed that young boy. It's called A Single Man, not A Sensible Man.
I loved how slow it was. I loved it that everything looked perfect--yes, just like a Gucci ad. I saw a very stiff English guy in DEEP despair. Everything Colin does with the character never betrays the fact that he's just not an emotionally open person. This is how a guy like that WOULD act. Is that what you mean by predictable?
For a his first movie, Tom Ford could have done a LOT LOT worse than this stunning, emotional story of dealing with grief. The cinematography was so amazing.
I like movies that give me feelings. This one did. And it was gorgeous to watch.
Lucite: Finally! I am glad someone defended it. I *wanted* to love it (and it would've helped if my pre-attendance activities hadn't caused me to nod off).
I did think he would sleep with the young guy - that's not what I meant. I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it but I thought the very ending was predictable and an easy out.
I found the movie outstandingly beautiful but didn't find it the least bit emotional. I understood that his character was disguising his emotion due to upbringing but I didn't find it believable. I found it cold. Period. Like a Joan Didion novel.
HG--you were too drunk to feel anything. Just kidding! I know other people who didn't like it, and I always respect differing opinions, but I just want to say that you are wrong.
It *was* sentimental and melodramatic. That sort of thing pulls my heart strings!
I love gay love affairs, especially those set in the past when being a gay man was probably not like it is now. i.e. a LOT harder, I would think. I don't know. I'm not a gay man. (Remember Far From Heaven? I loved that one, too.)
As for his coldness--didn't you feel terrible for him during the flash back scenes? (Like, all of them? Particularly the rainstorm scene when he's going over to Charley's place after hearing the news?) I did. I was reeled in very quickly. Those feelings that I mentioned weren't necessarily the kind you get by being manipulated by a story, like when the lead character cries, you're supposed to be sad. It was a kind of wholeness--Charley's selfish friendship, George's outsider-ness at work--really, the very fact that he couldn't really mourn this loss fully because of who he is, and more importantly, what things are like in 1962. Those things combined make it tragic.
Do you think beautiful people who live in beautiful houses don't have pain? (That's just me being funny.)
I wonder if it was the music that made it seem cold, because if I recall correctly, it wasn't sweeping music. It wasn't the kind of music that "indicates."
It wasn't until a day or two later that I was able to talk about it and that's usually a pretty good sign for me.
By the way, this isn't my favorite movie or anything. I just think it's a good one.
Lucite: I would like to see it again. The whole thing. Before dinner. :-)
I said earlier that it wasn't my intention to dissuade people from seeing this. Quite the opposite. It wasn't very widely shown in the first place and I usually love this sort of film. And I love to see them produced instead of the usual riffraff.
I still don't know that I will find it emotional (and, no, I don't have to have heaving, sobbing and a manipulatively sad storyline a la The Notebook to find it so); I think sadness and grief and despair are very personal, that's all.
But thanks for your comments - I appreciate them.
And, fyi, we were the *only* people in the theater - in a heavily gay town - which was disappointing and surprising considering it had just opened there.
My husband considers it a "win" because I always pick the movies with four other people in the entire theater and he uses it against me.
HG--I had a late cup of tea yesterday. That must be what caused me to want to go on and on and on about it. I hope you're not bothered by my nattering!
I can tell you don't want to dissuade people from seeing it. For the visuals alone, it's worth the ticket price. I'm fairly forgiving with movies that look beautiful. I usually forget the plot a month later anyway.
Having some basic understanding of the story line and hearing mixed reviews about the movie I went because it was directed by Tom Ford and was sure to be visually pleasing if nothing else.
I left blown away and touched. Like Lucite, I felt the emotions were harder to capture and articulate because George's emotions aren't articulated, but acted through his motions, eyes and facial expressions.
The set direction, cinematography and costumes were just as expected, but most of all I foudn the story not playing to commercial appeal of what you wanted to happen, what probably would happen in real life(or as written in the original novel). Changing the ending to meet audience appeal would cheapen the whole gig.
Watch it again with different expectations and the love and loss that George faces - will seem so much more real to you the viewer and glad your husband is by your side.
BTW - I can barely get through painting my room. That stencils is off the chain.
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