Product Details

• Actors: Kevin Kline, Joan Cusack, Tom Selleck, Matt Dillon, Debbie Reynolds
• Directors: Frank Oz
• Writers: Paul Rudnick
• Producers: Adam Schroeder, G. Mac Brown, Scott Rudin, Suzanne Santry
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Paramount
• VHS Release Date: June 6, 2000
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (90 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304821522
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #187,081 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review: When a Hollywood heartthrob (Matt Dillon, playing a Brad Pitt look-alike) "outs" his small-town high-school drama teacher Howard Brackett (Kevin Kline) during the Oscar telecast, the entire (fictional) town of Greenleaf, Indiana, wonders if Howard's really gay. More to the point, Howard wonders, too--quite a dilemma considering his pending marriage to Emily (Joan Cusack), who's patiently tolerated a three-year engagement. While a TV reporter (Tom Selleck) covers the ensuing furor, screenwriter Paul Rudnick and director Frank Oz make good-natured humor their highest priority, turning the "crisis" of coming out into a laugh-out-loud spin on conventional romantic comedy. The result is a film that delivers constant laughs and a golden opportunity for its fine cast to show off their considerable comedic talents--especially Cusack, who deservedly earned an Oscar nomination for her hilarious performance as the bride who's almost as confused as her would-be husband. That Rudnick and Oz have made a great comedy that's both old-fashioned and relevant to the late 20th century is no small feat, but In & Out has no hidden agenda apart from its triumphant desire to entertain. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, Touching, and Very Capra-esque, December 4, 2001

By 

Gary F. Taylor "GFT" (Biloxi, MS USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In & Out [VHS] (VHS Tape)

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.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unlikely High Comedy, October 23, 2003

By 

Martin A Hogan "Marty From SF" (San Francisco, CA. (Hercules)) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In & Out (DVD)

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.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A feel-good riot, October 16, 2001

By 

DJ McGovern "Derek McGovern" (Busan, South Korea) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In & Out (DVD)

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.