I ran into a discussion, mainly by gay film aficionados, lavishing praise on A Single Man.
I think mostly they like the fact that a gay character is presented as normal and low-key, but they also really liked the set decoration and aesthetics of the film.
Almost made me want to watch it again, but I was pretty firmly in yawnsville during my initial viewing, so it's hard to imagine voluntarily reliving that experience.

It really isn't about gay or straight. I'm just not interested in a heartwarming family movie. What else has the movie got?

Can't believe you mean this seriously. You're parodying Gary, right?

And you gay and all, I'm ashamed of you.

This resonates with me. The gay sensibility in the film was overpowering and sometimes rather annoying. Everything about the clothing and the sets looked "fabuloso," but we were supposed to take it very seriously.

It doesn't sound traditionally "heartwarming." It sounds positive rather than negative, but that doesn't automatically translate into "sentimentally manipulative," which is how I define "heartwarming."

Thanks, but you misread me. I haven't seen the movie and couldn't finish the book. I'm trying to describe what I sense when I talk to gays who loved it (and so far every one of them has). I think the are responding to both the pain of a very uptight man (uptight because of the times and his on personality) mixed with the loss of a partner in a time where even if he could burst out in rage or pain would have elicited laughter or revulsion rather that empathy and support.