A Single ManMovie Reviews

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Avg. Critic Score: 77 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
17 Iffy for 17+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 91
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    Firth plays him as a man of his time who is also mournfully ahead of his time. He's addicted to his own broken heart. A Single Man may break yours as well. Read full review

  • 90
    Variety |

    Like the speck of sand that seeds a pearl, it's the tiny fleck of kitsch at the heart of "A Single Man" that makes it luminous and treasurable, despite its imperfections. Read full review

  • 90
    Los Angeles Times | Betsy Sharkey

    For the most part, Ford has done good by the film, infusing a sad story with warmth and humor to spare. While loss is what makes George's experience universal, heart is what gives him such life. Read full review

  • 88
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    The film belongs to Firth. Uncanny at showing the heart crumbling under George's elegant exterior, he gives the performance of his career. Read full review

  • 80
    The Hollywood Reporter |

    Sensitive and stylish. Read full review

  • 80
    The New York Times | Manohla Dargis

    While A Single Man has its flaws, many of these fade in view of the performance and the power of Isherwood's story. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    It's hard to sell people on a movie about grief, but A Single Man deserves recognition for being about something real that usually goes unexplored: The grief from which there really can be no return. Read full review

  • 75
    Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

    How fitting that Firth should carry A Single Man, a movie of quiet but potent emotional power, perfectly suited to his singular gifts. Read full review

  • 75
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Firth plays George superbly, as a man who prepares a face to meet the faces that he meets. Read full review

  • 75
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Though the deliberate pace can feel slow to glacial at times, the visuals are gorgeous, and the melancholy mood is exquisitely evoked. Read full review

View more reviews for A Single Man on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 17+ Mature drama about loss is visually striking but hollow.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that the subject matter of this 1960s-set indie drama -- which centers on a man who's deeply mourning the loss of his longtime boyfriend and is desperate to find a reason to go on -- may be too heavy/morbid for younger teens (and even some older ones). The idea of suicide is explored, and the main character's world feels incredibly bleak at times, though he does manage to find moments of joy. Expect a fair amount of male nudity (though no frontal shots), plus some smoking, drinking, and swearing ("s--t").
  • 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?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: The movie deals with the impact of the loss of a loved one; it's a hard topic, but it's explored in an honest way. Friendship appears to be a lifeline, but only just.
  • rolemodels true1 Positive role models: George is a once-lively man who has lost his will to live following the death of his longtime companion. But even in his darkest hours, he’s compassionate and able to find moments of joy, if only fleetingly.
What to watch for
  • violence false2 Violence: A man buys bullets for a gun. He practices different ways he could shoot himself. A man dies in a car accident; his body is shown on the ground, bloodied.
  • sex false3 Sex: Lots of instances in which men are shown nude (though not from the front), frolicking in the ocean or floating underwater. Two men kiss. Discussion between a man and a woman about their previous coupling.
  • language false2 Language: A few instances of swearing (“s--t”).
  • consumerism false2 Consumerism: Some labels shown, including Bayer, Coca-Cola, Hershey’s.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false2 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Some period-accurate smoking. Characters are also shown drinking, some to inebriation.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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