IN & OUT Frank Oz, 1997 Our rating: 3 The straight dope: Kevin Kline Inspired by Tom Hanks's Best Actor acceptance speech at the 1994 Academy Awards ceremony in which he thanked a homosexual teacher, IN & OUT tells of the inadvertent, televised outing of a schoolteacher in midwest America. Upon accepting his Oscar for best actor for portraying a gay soldier, Cameron Drake (Matt Dillon) thanks, among others, his high school English teacher, Howard Brackett (Kevin Kline), who is homosexual. This comes as something of a surprise to Howard, watching the Oscars back in Indiana, who is not, to his knowledge, actually gay; surprised, too, is his fiancee, Emily (Joan Cusack), whom he is to marry in four days, as well as the other citizens of the small town of Greenleaf, including Howard's parents (Debbie Reynolds and Wilford Brimley), students, and principal (Bob Newhart). The town's residents begin to speculate that perhaps there is something to Drake's claim--after all, Howard has a thing for Barbra Streisand movies, wears bow ties, and is "smart, well dressed, and really clean," which everyone knows are the hallmarks of the light-loafered. Worse, Howard himself begins to question his sexual orientation; his dilemma is made more difficult by Peter Malloy (Tom Selleck), a gay television reporter for an entertainment newsmagazine, who encourages Howard to come out of the closet ... specifically, by kissing him. Determined to put this controversy to rest, Howard and Emily go ahead with the wedding. Unfortunately, when it's Howard's turn to say "I do," he instead announces "I'm gay." Though the wedding naturally collapses, Howard's family tries its best to accept him; unfortunately, the school cannot do the same, and Howard is fired on the eve of his students' graduation and stripped of his "Teacher of the Year" award. With Malloy on hand to report the whole thing, news of Howard's dismissal reaches Cameron Drake, who returns to Greenleaf to try to repair the damage he's caused. Drake interrupts the graduation ceremony to point out that, straight or gay or whatever, Howard is still a damn good teacher and an asset to the community. In a show of solidarity, first the students, then Howard's family, and eventually most of the town stand up and proclaim, "I'm gay!" In a final demonstration of thanks, Cameron hands Howard his Oscar to replace the "Teacher of the Year" award he'd been denied. IN & OUT is a simple story made very, very entertaining by the excellent performances of just about everyone involved. Kline, in particular, is outstanding as Howard, the kind of role that reminds one of just what a talented comedic actor he is (especially during a scene in which Howard is listening to a tape designed to measure his masculinity). Kline receives ample support from the rest of the cast, most notably Selleck (another gifted actor whose comic abilities are too often overlooked), Cusack, Reynolds, and Brimley. Credit, too, the sharp-witted script by Paul Rudnick. Not nearly as dark as his script for ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES (1993) and less preachy than JEFFREY (1993), IN & OUT still manages to take some well-aimed swipes at both Hollywood and small-town America. All in all, IN & OUT makes the most out of what, in less skilled hands, would be rather slight material. (Profanity.) Tell us what you think! Academy Award Nomination: Best Supporting Actress - Joan Cusack Country of origin: U.S. Genre: Comedy Color or b/w: Color Production Co(s).: Scott Rudin Productions; Spelling Films; Paramount Released by: Paramount MPAA rating: PG-13 Parental rating: Cautionary; some scenes objectionable Running time: 92

Go Back To 'REVIEWS'

Go Back To 'ZOLT'S INDEX PAGE'

Go Back To 'ZOLT'S FRONT DOOR'

This page hosted by