Gynecologist Catherine (Julianne Moore) believes that her sexy husband David (Liam Neeson) is having an affair. So rather than spend money on a therapist, she hires high-end escort Chloe (Amanda Seyfried) to entrap him in a sexual liaison. According to Chloe’s graphic stories, David is lured into her young supple arms and a torrid affair blossoms. Time and time again, Catherine hands over large sums of money to Chloe to listen to her recount the adulterous liaisons; fueled by some masochistic drive, Catherine is both heartbroken and aroused by each tale.

Then, not surprisingly, Chloe goes a little nuts and it’s time to lock up your rabbits. But as an update for 2010, it’s Catherine who is the focus of Chloe’s attention, not David.

There are so many inconsistencies in the film, one wants to give Egoyan the benefit of the doubt and believe he’s building to something. In the end, however, he misuses this trust because the whole film shatters apart like a dropped glass. Like when Chloe recounts the story of how David took her on a picnic, but the film is set during the winter in Toronto. Come on, it’s even snowing out when Chloe tells the story. Or my favorite, how Catherine, a doctor remember, treats a bleeding cut on Chloe’s knee without gloves, then later freaks out and demands a blood test because Chloe gave David a hand job. Time to go back to med school, doc.

A series of tortured scenes like these – later featuring Catherine and David’s son – keep building until the film climaxes in an orgiastic state of stupidity. If the last five minutes don’t push you over the edge, the last thirty seconds will definitely have you jumping out the window.

Moore appears to be trying very hard to capture Catherine’s fragile state, but the very fact that she looks like she’s trying means she’s not succeeding. Like when her arousal takes the shape of running her foot along her calf. Moore has proven many times over that she’s capable of more nuanced performances, it would have been nice to get a little more payoff here.

Neeson is slightly better as the wayward husband, yet he’s too distant even when the center of attention. His David is volatile and moody, yet his swings in the latter half of the film transform him into a whole new character. Any actor would struggle with the role as scripted, so Neeson does as good a job as could be expected.

Seyfried, though capable of playing the ingénue, fails to capture the sexual nature of the role. She’s never fully the temptress nor the hunter that Chloe has to be to make the film work. She bares her breasts a lot, but her voiceovers, while meant to be seductive, just sound like a teen-ager reading lines she doesn’t truly understand.

Though Egoyan loses his audience somewhere along the way, he does manage to capture some of the most graphic lesbian sex scenes since The L Word, and never shies away from graphic descriptions of sex. But these tantalizing moments are overwrought with a heavy-handed direction that weighs down the entire project.

Even though Chloe wants to be classy with its fancy baubles of a cast and high-society airs, deep down it’s just a cheap and tawdry film that hopes to make a couple bucks before being dismissed.

Based on Christopher Isherwood‘s 1964 novel of the same name and adapted by Ford, A Single Man chronicles one day in the life of George (Colin Firth), a teacher mourning the loss of his long-time partner Jim (Matthew Goode). As the old adage says, a gun introduced in the first scene must be used by the end of the story, so it’s no surprise to learn that George has decided to kill himself.

In an effort to understand George more fully, A Single Man jumps seamlessly through time: George and Jim share a quiet moment together on the couch; a student attempts to seduce George; George and Jim meet; George encounters a hustler outside a liquor store. Ford ensures that it is always crystal clear what’s taking place and why George and the audience need to experience each particular moment. Some moments are lifted straight from Isherwood’s page with their lyrical nature intact, while others are liberally adapted by Ford, who goes so far as to add new characters and, most daringly, the suicide plot. While Isherwood purists are sure to be up in arms about the changes, Ford’s version is strong.

Firth delivers an Oscar-worthy turn as George; it’s a highly nuanced performance and an utter joy to watch. Everything about Firth’s portrayal of George is highly controlled, which is the perfect description for the character. Even in plotting death, things are planned to the final detail, and Firth imbues George with a cool, calm, collected aura. However, when watching George get blindsided by the news of Jim’s death or wooed by an attractive man, the side of George that still marvels at the wonders of life peeks through. Firth deftly moves between jaded and awed with a dexterity that takes George – and the film – to a whole new level.

To read the rest of Tim’s review, hop on over to Metro Weekly, where his article is currently running.

A Single Man is the story of George Falconer, a British college professor who is struggling to find meaning in his life after the death of his long-time partner, Jim . He is consoled by his closest friend Charley, a 48-year-old beauty, and is stalked by one of his students, Kenny.