In & Out (1997)

A midwestern teacher questions his sexuality after a former student makes a comment about him at the Academy Awards.

Director:

Frank Oz

Writer:

Paul Rudnick

Stars:

Kevin Kline, Joan Cusack, Tom Selleck

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 7 wins & 17 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Kline	...	Howard Brackett
Joan Cusack	...	Emily Montgomery
Tom Selleck	...	Peter Malloy
Matt Dillon	...	Cameron Drake
Debbie Reynolds	...	Berniece Brackett
Wilford Brimley	...	Frank Brackett
Bob Newhart	...	Tom Halliwell
Gregory Jbara	...	Walter Brackett
Shalom Harlow	...	Sonya
Shawn Hatosy	...	Jack
Zak Orth	...	Mike
Lauren Ambrose	...	Vicky
Alexandra Holden	...	Meredith
Lewis J. Stadlen	...	Ed Kenrow
Deborah Rush	...	Ava Blazer

Storyline

All of Greenleaf, Indiana is watching this year's telecast of the Oscars as Hollywood heartthrob and local boy made good Cameron Drake has been nominated for his first ever Best Actor Oscar for his latest movie role as a gay soldier. Cameron's high school English teacher Howard Brackett is overjoyed when Cameron wins the award and mentions Howard's contribution in his acting life. That joy turns to horror when Cameron mentions to the worldwide audience that Howard is gay, especially horrific to Howard as he is engaged to fellow teacher Emily Montgomery, a woman with self-esteem issues as she had battled weight issues most of her life before she lost seventy-five pounds for the wedding. Howard's life is totally disrupted as Hollywood media descends on Greenleaf in order to get Howard's story. The rest of Greenleaf also openly wonders if Howard is indeed gay, as he exhibits many stereotypical gay tendencies, such as being neat, and loving music, dancing, poetry and Barbra Streisand. His...

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Plot Keywords:

screwball comedy | school teacher | watching television | teacher as protagonist | man | 

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Taglines:

An out-and-out comedy.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content and some strong language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 September 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

¿Es o no es?

Filming Locations:

Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$15,019,821, 21 September 1997, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$63,856,929

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$83,256,929

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Spelling Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Deborah Rush (Ava Blazer) & Bill Hoag (Bartender) also worked together on Orange Is the New Black (2013) as Carol Chapman & Bill Chapman respectively.

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Goofs

The hanging strap on Joan Cusak's wedding gown can be seen hanging out of the bottom of her right sleeve in some, but not all, shots at the church. Once she goes to the bar it is never seen which means she would have had to undress to pull it back inside the gown.

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Quotes

Emily: Is everybody gay? Is this a Twilight Zone?

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Crazy Credits

During the end credits, the cast is dancing to "Macho Man" and goofing off at Berniece and Frank's wedding reception.

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Connections

Featured in The 70th Annual Academy Awards (1998)

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Soundtracks

Java Headed Woman
Written by Dale Peterson
Performed by The Rhythm Lords
Courtesy of MasterSource

User Reviews

Light at heart for subject and comedy.

Frank Oz has done a wonderful job in directing this comedy that, for the 90s, is one notch above average. I believe the nineties was a gay decade (I have never seen so much publicity before it), and here comes a charming, sometimes funny view about it. Mind you, the main idea really came from Tom Hanks' acceptance speech, where after winning the Academy Award for Philadelphia, he thanked his gay drama teacher. So imagine an English teacher, who loves sonnets and is getting married in three days, getting the same treatment. It's a good set up.

After being awarded an Oscar for the portrayal of a gay soldier, Cameron Drake thanks his English teacher for being his gay inspiration. Problem is, he's not.

The way Kline tackles sexual preference is also how one would confront the ending of a relationship, which could be what this movie is about on a smaller level. Denial, anger, experimentation ... it's a much more thoughtful movie than others. Everyone gets a happy ending here on some level. Between the bachelor party and the masculinity assessment, I have to choose the guy's night out as the funniest part in the film. In & Out is a good movie and I would recommend it if you were curious.