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

Outside the diner with Howard and Peter.

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Quotes

Howard Brackett: I may sue!
Howard's dad: Get Johnny Cochrane, not that woman!

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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 Charlie Rose: Episode dated 11 May 1999 (1999)

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Soundtracks

Macho Man
Written by Henri Belolo, Jacques Morali, Victor Willis and Peter Whitehead
Performed by The Village People
Courtesy of Scorpio Music and Mercury Records
By Arrangement with PolyGram Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

Gutsy comedy

Whether you dug this movie or not, you've got to give it credit for having major guts. Remember, this is a big Hollywood comedy, with a big Hollywood budget, and a major studio behind it. And the protagonist ends up discovering his homosexuality. Now, that might not seem like much of a risk to some moviegoers, but try to think of another big studio comedy (I'm not talking about independent films) that has the courage to go this route. The filmmakers could have just as easily wimped out, as would be the usual choice.

Besides the above, this is a finely crafted comedy. It's funny and touching and well written and acted. Sure, it's not perfect, but it succeeds, which is more than one can say for most other comedies.