In & Out

I didn't care for this at first, but it is really a funny movie. Kevin Kline is his usuall good self as an english teacher who is outed at the Academy Awards by a former student, and he is due to get married soon. Wilferd Brimley is hilarious as Klines dad & Tom Selleck as an openly gay reporter steals almost every scene he is in. Its not one of my favorites, but its better than alot of other "gay comedys".

Some movies want to make us think, some want to excite us, some want to exhilarate us. But sometimes, a movie wants only to make us laugh, and "In & Out" certainly succeeds in this department.

Indiana high-school teacher Howard Brackett (Kevin Kline) is going to be married to fellow teacher Emily Montgomery (Joan Cusack) in three days, but the whole town is more excited about the Oscar nomination of former resident Cameron Drake (Matt Dillon). But when Cameron wins an Oscar for playing a gay soldier, he thanks his gay teacher, Howard, for inspiration. What follows is Howard denying it in an hilarious set of mishaps in a truly screwball fashion.

Kevin Kline is great, exuding gay stereotypes. Joan Cusack really has a knack for screwball antics. Debbie Reynolds is utterly hilarious as Howard's mother. And Bob Newhart is also a hoot as the homophobic principal.

Gay screenwriter Paul Rudnick really achieves a delicate balance here. He knows the stereotypes and exploits them in a way that's mostly tolerable to conservative Midwesterners and yet mostly inoffensive to the gay audience. It's not exactly progressive, but it's funny and inoffensive, and definitely a step up from the previous year's "The Birdcage."

I have always thought Kevin Kline is a great actor. We all have seen him in great and memorable performances. In this film, again, he is good. My family and I really had a great time watching him as a professor who sees on television one of his former students saying he (the professor) is gay. It's fun from the beginning to the end. I recommend this innocent comedy. Have fun

my rate 7/10

In & Out is a comedy with a simple premise. It admirably succeeds in the mission of being funny and entertaining.

The comedy in this film ranges from the ridiculous to the sublime, physical comedy exists alongside dry humor, with a nice veteran turn by Bob Newhart. Kevin Kline is predictably in excellent form in this film, alongside Tom Selleck not playing to his expected "square jawed" leading man type. Mr. Selleck plays his humor well and displays a nice sense of comedic timing. The cast makes this film successful.

Not all films with homosexual themes are made to advance some sort of sinister, hidden Hollywood liberal agenda, in point of fact this film was simply made to entertain, and if any part of this films makes the viewer think, then it was a byproduct of the well-acted work by a terrific cast of professionals. Frequently tongue-in-cheek, I found myself laughing at the right moments. A solid "B."

I enjoyed this film quite a bit. Kevin Kline is one of my favourite actors, and after seeing this, I'm still firm in the belief that he can pull off any role he has a mind to. Joan Cusack's performance, while too over-the-top for some, really worked well for the part in my opinion... she and Kline both kept me laughing throughout. The supporting cast turned in nice performances as well, and Tom Selleck needs to keep that face clean-shaven more often. ^_-

This film was still quite amusing in some parts, but it seemed to indulge in a few too many stereotypes.

Overall, I think the actors did the best they could with what they were given, and while it wasn't *quite* what I had hoped for, it was still good entertainment for an afternoon... if you're not too sensitive about the Heterosexual vs. Homosexual issue, then you'll probably get quite a few good laughs out of this one.