In & Out

Starring: Kevin Kline, Joan Cusack, Matt Dillon, Debbie Reynolds, Wilford Brimley, Bob Newhart, Tom Selleck, Whoopie Goldberg (cameo), Glenn Close (cameo)
Directed by: Frank Oz
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
1997

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Awards: Nominated for an Acadmey Award 1997: Best Supporting Actress (Joan Cusack)

Summary:High school English teacher Howard Brackett (Kevin Kline) along with the rest of the town watch in anticipation of one of their hometown heroes, actor Cameron Drake (Matt Dillon) is nominated for an Oscar. When he wins, he thanks Mr. Brackett in his acceptance speech, and tells the rest of the world that Brackett is gay, which comes to quite the shock to the whole town... including Mr. Bracket!! Brackett's life is turned upside down, as he faces new prejudices, and faces problems with his wife-to-be, Emily (Joan Cusack).

Review:

Tim: This movie can into being after Paul Rudnick witnessed Tom Hanks' 1994 Oscar acceptance speech, in which he thanked his openly gay high school drama teacher (Hanks was kind enough to warn him, first though). That being said, I have some serious problems with this film. Yes, it was entertaining enough with the "is he or isn't he?" debate for much of the film. Kevin Kline was actually very funny throughout the film, and Joan Cusack was hysterical throughout the film, nearly stealing every scene she was in. She was nominated for an Oscar for her performance here, and I think the nomination was very worthy of it. Matt Dillon played a smaller role, but he did so with charm, and did a decent job. I didn't have a problem with any of that, or with the subject matter of the film.

For starters, the big ending scene is absolutely absurd. It's nice to think things would end up like that, but we don't live in fantasy land. High school students probably wouldn't stand up for a teacher like that, and neither would the community. I'm not saying it shouldn't be like that, but in this day and age, it is not going to happen.

Furthermore, the films leave a number of questions completely unanswered. Why the hell did Cameron Drake feel the need to tell the world his former teacher was gay? There is absolutely no explanation, no rational reason why he would do that. Apparently the writers either couldn't come up with a good one(Because there IS NO good reason why he'd do that), or they decided to let us use our imaginations (which is difficult, because I might have mentioned THERE IS NO REASON).

This film is entertaining enough, and does present some controversial material in a lighthearted and comedic light. If you've read any reviews about this film, you'll know there are tons of people who complained about the stereotypes, and the feel-good ending. I hate to conform with other people, but in this case, I agree with the majority. The film is based entirely on stereotypes, which is never a good plan, no matter what your film is about. But, most of what I'm talking about only makes a difference to you in you really want to think about the film (which I always recommend, no matter what the film). If you want to sit back and watch a comedy, then you'll enjoy it much more. I leave it up to you. There are some great performances here, and indeed, some decent comedy, but some major flaws as well.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Birdcage, Dave, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,