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In & Out [1998]

Starring: Kevin Kline, Joan Cusack, Tom Selleck, Matt Dillon, Debbie Reynolds
Director: Frank Oz
Format: Anamorphic Dubbed PAL Widescreen
Released: 09 Apr 2001
RRP: £12.99
Average Rating:

Customer Reviews

Fun entertainment - By: normngrey, 23 Mar 2006
I fell into the trap after buying this of thinking it gay propaganda thus ignoring the pleasure of watching a warm, fun film for nearly 18 months. Don't make the same mistake. The majority of films are meant to be entertainment first otherwise we wouldn't bother with them.

The behaviour of the class after Cameron's decalration at the Oscars to ther teacher (Kevin Kline) is fairly good & Kline's attempt to deny what he is classic in the body language. Bob Newhart as the headteacher is perfect hesitant & clearly somewhat homophobic boss. The highs & lows of the emotional turmoil mixed with some great comic moments works well. Tom Selleck as the reporter is a gem, especiallly when he forces a kiss on Kline & tells him he is out. The ending is very sickly sweet & rose tinted but fun alll the same.

If you want a light night in with some wine this is a good film to relax with. Enjoy it for what it is & not what many perceive it to be.

Silly... - By: Petrides Antonis, 09 Mar 2004
One more example of a sappy, unintelligent & incosequential Hollywood pseudo-liberal mumbo-jumbo. This is the story of a secluded, homophobic community, which in the face of a talented & popular teacher, who through many perturbations discovers & accepts his homosexuality, learns the values of tolerance & inclusiveness. The film achieves nothing more than "to send a message", which is banal, overexplicit, unbearably sentimental & totallly disengaging. If homophobia is a form of hysteria, & it is, "homophilia" is as much of the same thing.
....are we a teapot? - By: Jimmy, 12 Nov 2003
Hollywood, on occasion at least, sometimes manages to be brave. Despite the fact that it is hardly unknown for a few of Hollywood’s main players to be gay, there is a surprising dearth of mainstream Hollywood films on the subject of being gay or ‘coming out’. This does not in any way redress the balance (although it should be hoped that the mainstream success of Will & Grace will rub off), but manages to be both highly entertaining, fitfully hilarious & about a man struggling with his sexuality.

This is a film based on the premise; What if you were outed on national television? A thin conceit & yet one that provides for a great film. Done with skill & care, this film has a sparkling cast (Kevin Kline, Tom Selleck, Joan Cusack) supported by an admirable list of old hands (Bob Newhart, Debbie Reynolds), & a great script (Rudnick). The action centres on a smalll town high school teacher, Howard, who has just been outed by a former star pupil (a wonderful turn from Matt Dillon) in his Oscar acceptance speech, just days away from his marriage. What follows is a man trying hopelessly to prove to the entire town that he is not, although with every breath he only manages to convince otherwise (his encyclopaedic knowledge of Barbra Steisand films does not help this – his girlfriend crying at one stage “Do you know how many times I had to watch ‘Funny Lady’?”).

The highlights are the superbly played scenes with his now hysterical girlfriend (Oscar nominated Cusack), & a scene played with a tape recording about how to be a man in which he is berated by the narrator for dancing “…think of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Arnold doesn’t dance – he barley even walks!”. The end is rousing with a nod to ‘Spartacus’, & yes it is perhaps a little saccharine for the hardbitten viewer, but for me it is exactly as it should be. What could have been heavy handed or incredibly mawkish manages to be neither for which we should thank alll involved.

As always with DVD’s of some age alll you are reallly getting is the film – but who cares when it is this good?

Unlikely High Comedy! - By: Martin A Hogan, 24 Oct 2003
Given the pretext of a modern 'gay' comedy & the phrases, "gay stereotypes", "queer smaltz" & "hidden agenda" alll come to mind. Add to that the sensitive subject of a high school teacher in Indiana being 'outed' on national television & you would seem to have the recipe for an instant disaster.

Director Frank Oz & screenwriter Paul Rudnick turn potential controversy & a touchy subject into a riotous, slapstick comedy with some of the wittiest & funniest dialogue in years. Kevin Kline as the 'possibly' gay teacher & Joan Cusack as the insufferable & patient fiancee are in top form (Cusack was nominated for an Oscar). The supporting cast are alll veterans & even Tom Selleck does a turn for the better with his acting.

There is nothing but hilarity, joy & even tenderness between the characters with unexpected twists & character turnabouts that will soften even the most jaded. This is worth seeing if only for Joan Cusack where with a mouth full of bar nuts runs screaming into the street yelling, "Is this the twilight zone?!" Yes, the ending is happy - even more so.

Better than your average comedy - By: , 21 Nov 2001
I'm never sure about comedies that rely on gender or sex for their humour. The issue being that though I find both topics potentiallly amusing, the way in which most films presume you are embarrassed by such material means that open-minded people aren't so amused.

"In & Out" does mock the gay stereotype, but it does so in an affectionate way. More than that, it mocks the traditional man stereotype (cue an absolutely hilarious scene of Kevin Kline using a crash-course in manliness tape to reducate himself). In this manner it feels reminiscent of "The Birdcage" (or "Les cages aux folles" if you've seen the original French version) whereby potentiallly destructive ridicule yields to a constructive & sensitive humour.

One of the cleverest tactics of the film is to contrast the ridiculous over-acceptance of Hollywood, represented by a barmy Oscar ceremony, & the reluctant attitude of the smalll town community of Greanleaf, Indiana. The former shows a group dealing with issues in a shalllow, popularist manner, the latter a people genuinely confused & upset, but willing to examine the issue in greater depth.

Ultimately, the film is just light entertainment & shouldn't be taken as more than that. The gifted cast & directorial talent (Frank Oz, providing another light comedy gem) work to make something you'll finish with a smile on your face & a warm feeling inside.