Critics Confused By Just Which Magazine A Single Man is Supposed to Look Like

Since Tom Ford's A Single Man is a period piece, perhaps it's only fitting that the film's reviews tend to reference another bygone relic: print magazines. Seemingly every evaluation of Ford's ultra-stylish debut can't help but compare its look to that of a glossy fashion spread, which is a common criticism leveled at gay directors who've got terrific costumes and immaculate production design. (When the director is straight, critics merely call him "David Fincher.")

Movieline collected 9 such accusations, though really, it was as easy as shooting fish in a Jonathan Adler-designed barrel. Could they come to any consensus on exactly which magazine Ford's film is supposed to resemble? Let's find out!

Keith Uhlich, Time Out NY:

"Christopher Isherwood's seminal queer novel deserves a film adaptation that captures both its sense of place and its activist spirit. Cowriter-director Tom Ford settles for the glossy ephemera of a Vanity Fair cover spread."

Scott Foundas, Village Voice:

"Think of it as Vogue Hommes: The Movie."

David Ansen, Newsweek:

"Would Isherwood's professor live in an Architectural Digest midcentury home and have drawers of perfectly folded clothes?"

Leslie Felperin, Variety:

"The way Charley's pink-and-gold parlor harmonizes not just with her sweeping monochrome dress but also her pink Sobranie cigarettes will evoke swoons of delight in auds for whom magazines like Wallpaper and Architectural Digest are holy writ."

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