In & Out (B+ or 3/4 stars)
A Midwestern high school teacher questions his sexuality after a former student makes a comment about him while accepting an award in 'In & Out', directed by Frank Oz. The 1st scene sets the time & place of the plot: Greenleaf, Indiana. Everything is nice, neat, warm, sweet, cozy, idyllic, & very, very conservative. Haha, when we know that the story has a homosexual context, you KNOW that this setting & the way it's portrayed/filmed is with great purpose. Howard Brackett (Kevin Kline) is one of the local high school's most liked teachers. As an English lit teacher, he tries to get his student to love & appreciate Shakespeare (and other such works). They all dig him. But something happens that changes some perceptions on the night of the Oscars. Teen heartthrob Cameron Drake (Matt Dillon) – a Greenleaf high alumni - wins Best Actor at the Oscars for portraying a homosexual soldier; thanking his 'gay' high school teacher, Mr. Brackett for inspiring him!
Not only does this stun Brackett & his entire community, but his mom's (Debbie Reynolds) lifelong dream of marrying off her son is in jeopardy, and it SURE as Hell stuns his fiancee, Emily (Joan Cusack)!!! The next day, reporters storm the small town of Greenleaf searching for a hot story. One member of the media is openly gay TV reporter, Peter Malloy (Tom Selleck). And throughout the course of the film, Tom makes it his mission to disrupt Howard's private life & prove to him that, yes, perhaps you are gay and don't know it. How will Howard react? Can he keep it together? Is he in denial of his sexual preference or not? What of his fiancee of 3 yrs., Emily? How must she feel? It all unfolds in what is a fairly funny hour & a half.
I enjoyed 'In & Out'. There's light comedy, great one-liners, fun music, & stellar acting. Some viewers may opt not to see this 'because' it's inherently a homosexual story. That said, let's hope that some straight guys can overlook what's on the surface and realize that this is really a very tame (morally) and funny endeavor; using humor to highlight society's approach to sexual identities. It's also not all about homosexuals; as some of the comedy satires Hollywood, tabloids, & the like. I liked where the story/script went. Though it's heartfelt, 'In & Out' is handled with minimal sentimentality & did not insult my intelligence. Most comedies do, nowadays.
Kevin Kline, a great comedic actor anyway, really shines here. His obstacle is having to play it straight (with all the gay hub-bub surrounding him). He's pretty sure he's straight, loves his fiancee, etc. But watching him bust out singing & dancing to gay icon's (such as Better Midler, The Village People, & Barbra Streisand) is nothing short of hysterical. Tom Selleck is very good as the mischievous, dirt-digging gay Peter Malloy; simply because you'd never think of him as anything but a masculine Magnum P.I. type of character. And Joan Cusack is always a scene-stealing joy to watch. Amid all the turmoil involving her fiancee, she tries to hold it together; she's wounded (and we pull for her). But when she has a mental breakdown, you'll bust out in stitches. Overall, 'In & Out' is a good comedy. It peters out a bit toward the end. But I liked it enough to want to rev-visit it down the road; that's for sure.
Not only does this stun Brackett & his entire community, but his mom's (Debbie Reynolds) lifelong dream of marrying off her son is in jeopardy, and it SURE as Hell stuns his fiancee, Emily (Joan Cusack)!!! The next day, reporters storm the small town of Greenleaf searching for a hot story. One member of the media is openly gay TV reporter, Peter Malloy (Tom Selleck). And throughout the course of the film, Tom makes it his mission to disrupt Howard's private life & prove to him that, yes, perhaps you are gay and don't know it. How will Howard react? Can he keep it together? Is he in denial of his sexual preference or not? What of his fiancee of 3 yrs., Emily? How must she feel? It all unfolds in what is a fairly funny hour & a half.
I enjoyed 'In & Out'. There's light comedy, great one-liners, fun music, & stellar acting. Some viewers may opt not to see this 'because' it's inherently a homosexual story. That said, let's hope that some straight guys can overlook what's on the surface and realize that this is really a very tame (morally) and funny endeavor; using humor to highlight society's approach to sexual identities. It's also not all about homosexuals; as some of the comedy satires Hollywood, tabloids, & the like. I liked where the story/script went. Though it's heartfelt, 'In & Out' is handled with minimal sentimentality & did not insult my intelligence. Most comedies do, nowadays.
Kevin Kline, a great comedic actor anyway, really shines here. His obstacle is having to play it straight (with all the gay hub-bub surrounding him). He's pretty sure he's straight, loves his fiancee, etc. But watching him bust out singing & dancing to gay icon's (such as Better Midler, The Village People, & Barbra Streisand) is nothing short of hysterical. Tom Selleck is very good as the mischievous, dirt-digging gay Peter Malloy; simply because you'd never think of him as anything but a masculine Magnum P.I. type of character. And Joan Cusack is always a scene-stealing joy to watch. Amid all the turmoil involving her fiancee, she tries to hold it together; she's wounded (and we pull for her). But when she has a mental breakdown, you'll bust out in stitches. Overall, 'In & Out' is a good comedy. It peters out a bit toward the end. But I liked it enough to want to rev-visit it down the road; that's for sure.