Customer Reviews

In & Out

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Many people complain that this film deals in stereotypes and dips into feel-good-preachiness toward the end--all of which is quite true. But for all the controversy surrounding the premise of a presumably straight highschool teacher who is "outed"--maybe falsely, maybe not--by a former student on national television, "IN & OUT" is essentially a classic Capra-style comedy, and comical stereotypes and feel-good-preachiness is part of the basic equipment. It is precisely the sort of film Capra might have made in 1939 with Jimmy Stewart and Jean Arthur, only brought up to date and given a modern spin.

The performances, particularly from Kline, Cusack, and a very unexpected Tom Selleck, are nothing short of brilliant; the script is both witty and funny and moves a long at a fast pace; and everything about the films leaves you wishing (unless you happen to be hysterically homophobic) that things really turned out like that in real life. Realistic movie? Of course not--but then neither was "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" or "Meet John Doe" or "It Happened One Night." Kind and clever and witty and lots of fun? Absolutely. And any one who is kind and clever and witty will have lots of fun watching it.

Given the pretext of a modern 'gay' comedy and the phrases, "gay stereotypes", "queer smaltz" and "hidden agenda" all come to mind. Add to that the sensitive subject of a high school teacher in Indiana being 'outed' on national television and you would seem to have the recipe for an instant disaster.

Director Frank Oz and screenwriter Paul Rudnick turn potential controversy and a touchy subject into a riotous, slapstick comedy with some of the wittiest and funniest dialogue in years. Kevin Kline as the 'possibly' gay teacher and Joan Cusack as the insufferable and patient fiancee are in top form (Cusack was nominated for an Oscar). The supporting cast are all veterans and even Tom Selleck does a turn for the better with his acting.

There is nothing but hilarity, joy and even tenderness between the characters with unexpected twists and character turnabouts that will soften even the most jaded. This is worth seeing if only for Joan Cusack where with a mouth full of bar nuts runs screaming into the street yelling, "Is this the twilight zone?!" Yes, the ending is happy - even more so.

What a hoot this endearing comedy is. Kevin Kline is excellent as the high school teacher, who may or may not be gay, but the entire cast is outstanding from Joan Cusack, as his long-suffering fiancee, to Debbie Reynolds, as his wedding-addicted mother. ("I want this wedding," she tells Kline. "It's like heroin.")

Paul Rudnick's wickedly clever script takes its cue from Tom Hanks' real-life acceptance speech at the 1994 Oscars, in which the latter thanked his GAY high school teacher for inspiring him to make the movie Philadelphia. In the movie it is Matt Dillon who makes the same speech after winning the Best Actor Award in another supposedly "breakthrough" gay-themed film. (This movie-within-a-movie is itself a gay parody of Born on the Fourth of July.)

Rudnick's gift for creating memorable characters and hilarious dialogue make this the kind of movie that can be watched over and over again. At the same time, he also achieves what no "serious" gay movie has succeeded in doing: he exposes the absurdity of homophobia. Humour, rather than preaching, is his weapon.

Special mention should be made of Tom Selleck, whose jaded trash reporter is one of his most enjoyable - and daring - portrayals.

A riot from start to finish.

The movie had a refreshing start - an acceptance speech by a past student (Matt Dillon) on the Oscar night upset the life of Mr. Brackett (Kevin Kline), a high school teacher in a great BIG small town Greenleaf, Indiana. He was gay according to the student, but not according to himself and all who knew him. He was also to get married to his colleague Ms Montgomery (Joan Cusack) within a week! What followed was denial, confusion and search for his own inclination, with the help of a national TV host (Tom Selleck).

Kevin Kline was consistently good and one of the best scenes was when he tested himself by playing a tape "exploring one's masculinity" at home. He failed in almost all the tests given by the deep bass voice on the tape, none more so with the dancing test. He simply could not refrain from responding to the rhythm, music and pleasure. His dance sequence was analogous to the one by Hugh Grant in Love Actually. Only that Kevin Kline moved like Jennifer Beals in Flashdance!

Even though the second half of the story conformed to the usual Hollywood formula, the gay man stereotyped and the u-turn of the townsfolk response not quite convincing, the movie was very watchable as a whole. Tom Selleck in a supporting role was charming. And the picture-postcard town provided ever stretching green pastures, beautiful small houses and a stunning view of stately school campus.

"In & Out" is the kind of film that is actually fun to watch. In a time when so much is stressed on the way a film looks, who's in the film, and other pointless things like that, "In & Out" shines as a light film that is not a burden to watch. This is the kind of film perfect for watching on an airplane or on one of those TV's they have on buses because it is written well and hilarious, and you could start watching it from any point in the film and you'd still get it and love what you saw. The cast is superb (Kevin Kline is an ingenious actor and works well with comedy; Joan Cusack is a wonder, despite not having an extremely "fun" part here) and the jokes are funny. While many people might be up in arms about how the movie clings onto the stereotypes for homosexuals, that's what the movie is about: How people are always accused of being gay just because they fit these stereotypes. There is nothing to be upset about at all in this film. My only complaint is that the film is in too much of a hurry to get from one joke to the next. Yes, it's true, many jokes were missed because the film didn't spend enough time on a topic as it could of because it was always in such a hurry to move on to another funny topic. Other than that, "In & Out" is a superb and light movie to watch.

Almost everyone in "In & Out" is an extreme stereotype. Kline's scholarly and fastidious Mr. Brackett, Matt Dillon as the extremely air headed and self-obsessed actor, and Shalom Harlow as (no stretch here) the super model. All together, the characters in "In & Out" are a bit two-dimensional, which makes the story of the film work extremely well.

This is not a brainy movie, rather it is one you can share with your friends. It's a good laugh (the script being very well written) and it doesn't try to be something that it's not.

Does the film have a message? Of course it does, and it's exactly the one you'd assume it is. The message isn't the movie, however. Fans of good humor will love this movie, regardless of the point. Five minutes of Joan Cusack alone is worth the price of the DVD.
Seriously.

"In & Out" is warm, inoffensive and loveable. You'll recognize someone you know in almost every single character. Definitely a feel good movie.

Lighthearted and very witty at the same time. Paul Rudnick crafted an excellent script. If I may reveal a secret: I keep watching this movie over and over again, it is so appealing it makes me anxious to see the next scene. Need I rave about the cast? Kline is always great. Joan Cusack, holy shnykis is she funny. She has the best expression of anger (and lament) in film history, like Nic Cage and Al Pacino for instance. And Bob Newhart: I nearly wet my pants when at the end he observes the entire dance with his Buster Keaton-like stoneface. As trivial as this move may seem, I think it is a valuable asset in dispelling (and poking fun at) anti-gay prejudices. Perhaps the humor disguises the often painful experience of many gays and lesbians to come out in a infinitely more hostile environment than Greenleaf, Indiana. Keep up the fight!!

I was pleasantly surprised by this film. I wasn't sure what to expect from the author of "Jeffrey" and was really hoping that this wouldn't be a horrible film. Kevin Kline plays the quietly gay personality to perfection and I was surprised how well Tom Selleck did in playing a slightly swishy gay male. He had me thoroughly convinced. Throw in the funniest screen kiss I've seen in a good long while and lots of Barbra Streisand (whom I can't stand so the stereotype doesn't always hold here, folks), and you've got a charming film. The best scene in the film is arguably the post-wedding scene where the older women are sharing secrets. The ending was very cliched in the style of most men-done-wrong comedies, though, so if this kind of denoument makes you hate a film, you may want to skip this.

Sure I laughed, Joan Cusack was the best, and I realize that EVERYONE is stereotyped here, but Kevin Kline's fey gay characaterization really annoyed me after awhile. Overall the humor is too obvious and excrutiatingly mainstream. Not as funny as it was trying to be, and certainly not subtle or sophisticated. The final graduation scene was really over the top in embarrasment factor, and I found the ending was clearly made so as to "offend" the average mall walker.

GLAAD, the gay antidefamation group puts this on its lest of "10 best" gay movies which is beyond me, as this is just too middle of the road.

Of course, I guess there still is a need for a "we're just folks" movies like this, but given some of the distrubing comments I have seen here, it's probably just preaching to the choir.

Those who enjoy "high camp" may be a tad disappointed by this unusually tender film. Kevin Kline manages to keep a "straight" face throughout his coming out ordeal as Howard Brackett, outed by a former student-come-movie star. Don't miss Joan Cusack as the hapless bride and Debbie Reynolds as the "marriage addicted" mother. Get some popcorn, sit back and enjoy! And above all, don't take it too seriously...