A Single Man enters the Oscar race
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The Weinstein Company put down seven figures and, apparently, the promise of a big Oscar push to win a bidding war over A Single Man, fashion designer Tom Ford’s debut feature. The story of a gay British college professor who loses his partner has already seen its share of kudos, with Colin Firth winning the best actor trophy at the Venice Film Festival.

But Venice has always been a gay friendly film fest. Far From Heaven and Brokeback Mountain both got their Oscar starts in Italy. (We know how that turned out.) And with a full campaign slate (Nine, Inglourious Basterds, The Road), this small picture from a first-time director may not get all the Academy Award love it likely deserves .

Is this a vote of no Oscar confidence from the Weinstein Company in its other three pictures? Could they pull off a rushed, Reader-style release to put A Single Man in the running? Obviously the cash-strapped Weinstein Company needs this to work for them. For a film like A Single Man, more so than Nine, The Road, or the $100-million-grossing Inglourious Basterds, Oscar could be the difference between ending in the red or the black.

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