In & Out
- 1997
- Tous publics
- 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
46K
YOUR RATING
A midwestern teacher questions his sexuality after a former student makes a comment about him at the Academy Awards.A midwestern teacher questions his sexuality after a former student makes a comment about him at the Academy Awards.A midwestern teacher questions his sexuality after a former student makes a comment about him at the Academy Awards.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 7 wins & 18 nominations total
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
...in every way. It's a 1997 Fairy Tale. If you think this set LGBTQ rights back 20 years, we'll IT's 26 years OLD!!!!
Get a grip; this is a charming, sweet fairy tale about self discovery, and these days, a bit of a time capsule- So watch it, enjoy the good, funny and occasionally biting script, the wonderful performances and terrific direction.
It is what it is- engaging and enjoyable,
I'm kind of shocked that people in 2023 watch films and TV from the 1960's, 70's, 80's and 90's and judge them for not being woke enough: this is this very media that woke us up! We would not be as aware, inclusive or ( at least most of us) understanding if it were not for the ideas in older media.
Get a grip.
RESPECT!
Enjoy!
Get a grip; this is a charming, sweet fairy tale about self discovery, and these days, a bit of a time capsule- So watch it, enjoy the good, funny and occasionally biting script, the wonderful performances and terrific direction.
It is what it is- engaging and enjoyable,
I'm kind of shocked that people in 2023 watch films and TV from the 1960's, 70's, 80's and 90's and judge them for not being woke enough: this is this very media that woke us up! We would not be as aware, inclusive or ( at least most of us) understanding if it were not for the ideas in older media.
Get a grip.
RESPECT!
Enjoy!
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."
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 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.
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.
In & Out starring Kevin Kline, Tom Selleck and the town of Greenleaf, Indiana is a movie about homosexuality.........and the way we think about it(at least in an exaggerated kind of way)....
Kline is excellent as the teacher who has a hard time coming out and being truthfull to his soon-to-be wife Cusack. Selleck gives a good performance as the TV-reporter who tries to make Kline come out about his homosexuality, being gay himself knowing that denial isn't the right answer.... What's so funny about the movie is some of the prejudices the people from Greenleaf cherish.....apparently you're gay if you own a Barbara Streisand collection (and no! She was not too old to do Yentl!) and you're apparently also gay if you ride a bicylce!
The movie is a wonderful example of taking on prejudice and doing it in an extremely funny way....hilarious! The end where Kline is finally true to himself and afterwards rewarded by the town and his students is predictable but nevertheless compliments a good movie...
Kline is excellent as the teacher who has a hard time coming out and being truthfull to his soon-to-be wife Cusack. Selleck gives a good performance as the TV-reporter who tries to make Kline come out about his homosexuality, being gay himself knowing that denial isn't the right answer.... What's so funny about the movie is some of the prejudices the people from Greenleaf cherish.....apparently you're gay if you own a Barbara Streisand collection (and no! She was not too old to do Yentl!) and you're apparently also gay if you ride a bicylce!
The movie is a wonderful example of taking on prejudice and doing it in an extremely funny way....hilarious! The end where Kline is finally true to himself and afterwards rewarded by the town and his students is predictable but nevertheless compliments a good movie...
The movie is hysterical, it really is a funny film, and one that tries its best to stand up for Gay Rights back in the late 90s when Don't Ask Don't Tell was the height of Gay Rights.
Unfortunately people are reviewing this with an eye to the present and claiming that it stereotypes Gay men, and it does to an extent, but I do believe that a lot of the single star reviews would have made the same complaint no matter what they did with the lead character.
The fact is, for its time, for its era, it was part of the wave of films and TV shows that helped to normalize homosexuality in America, and it's that normalization that, more than any activism, helped for the Civil Rights victories we are seeing in the present.
To shun it over politics is literally to bite the hand that feeds you, especially since it has a clear message that homophobia is wrong and it was movies and TV shows like this that helped bring the attitudes and views on homosexuality that everyone supports today.
But, honestly, none of that matters. What matters is entertainment, that is why movies are made. Even informative movies have to have an eye towards entertaining the viewers if they want to actually be watched.
And, this movie is entertaining. This movie is hysterical, even if the masculinity tape was a bit of a stretch of the imagination even for a comedy, it still was a stretch that won one or two laughs from the audience.
Ultimately, it is a funny film that will entertain. So try to leave your political baggage at the door, and, if you can't, realize that it was films like this that helped normalize the views the American public has towards your political agenda...and then sit back and enjoy a funny and uplifting film with a strong moral.
Unfortunately people are reviewing this with an eye to the present and claiming that it stereotypes Gay men, and it does to an extent, but I do believe that a lot of the single star reviews would have made the same complaint no matter what they did with the lead character.
The fact is, for its time, for its era, it was part of the wave of films and TV shows that helped to normalize homosexuality in America, and it's that normalization that, more than any activism, helped for the Civil Rights victories we are seeing in the present.
To shun it over politics is literally to bite the hand that feeds you, especially since it has a clear message that homophobia is wrong and it was movies and TV shows like this that helped bring the attitudes and views on homosexuality that everyone supports today.
But, honestly, none of that matters. What matters is entertainment, that is why movies are made. Even informative movies have to have an eye towards entertaining the viewers if they want to actually be watched.
And, this movie is entertaining. This movie is hysterical, even if the masculinity tape was a bit of a stretch of the imagination even for a comedy, it still was a stretch that won one or two laughs from the audience.
Ultimately, it is a funny film that will entertain. So try to leave your political baggage at the door, and, if you can't, realize that it was films like this that helped normalize the views the American public has towards your political agenda...and then sit back and enjoy a funny and uplifting film with a strong moral.
Did you know
- TriviaThe Oscar statuette used in the film is Kevin Kline's. He won it in 1989 for his performance in Un poisson nommé Wanda (1988).
- GoofsThe timing referred to in the film is way off. The celebration dinner before the wedding is held in the daytime before the Oscars. At the dinner, Howard states that he is getting married on Sunday, in three days. The Oscars are never held on Thursday, they have been held either Sunday or Monday. Meanwhile, this is a short time before high school graduation, which is in late May or early June. The Oscars are now being held in January or February.
- Quotes
[while listening to the "How to Be a Man" tape]
Voice on tape: Repeat after me: Yo!
Howard Brackett: Yo!
Voice on tape: Hot damn!
Howard Brackett: Hot damn!
Voice on tape: What a fabulous window treatment!
Howard Brackett: What a fabu...
Voice on tape: That was a trick!
- Crazy creditsDuring the end credits, the cast is dancing to "Macho Man" and goofing off at Berniece and Frank's wedding reception.
- SoundtracksEverything's Coming Up Roses
Written by Stephen Sondheim and Jule Styne
Performed by Ethel Merman
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- ¿Es o no es?
- Filming locations
- Sparta, New Jersey, USA(exterior bar scenes)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $35,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $63,856,929
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $15,019,821
- Sep 21, 1997
- Gross worldwide
- $63,856,929
- Runtime1 hour 30 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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