In & Out Movie Review

In & Out  (1997)

Rent In & Out on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Paul Rudnick
Directed by: Frank Oz
Starring: Kevin Kline, Joan Cusack, Tom Selleck, Matt Dillon, Debbie Reynolds, Wilford Brimley, Bob Newhart, Shawn Hatosy, Lauren Ambrose
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer

Plot
A midwestern teacher questions his sexuality after a former student outs him as gay at the Academy Awards.

Verdict
A serviceable feel-good movie that feels quite dated now. A high school teacher coming out (or outed) might generate some gossip, but I doubt it would be the media spectacle portrayed here. The movie explores the gay stereotype, but doesn't do as much to denounce it as it could. Kevin Kline does a great job. He's the main reason to watch this, and in the end the movie has a nice message.
It depends.

Review
This is clearly a '90s movie, from the look and style to the subject. The entire movie is a bit over the top and hokey. Maybe that's the point since the media spectacle that befalls Howard (Kevin Kline) seems a bit silly. I don't doubt that people in a small town would gossip about this, but the country wouldn't care.

Joan Cusack and Kevin Kline play Emily and Howard.

Howard has to fight off rumors that he's gay after a former student outs him. The movie leans into stereotypes as Howard is well dressed and groomed, liking classical literature. He likes film festivals more than sports. I wanted the movie to do more with that. The gay stereotype is reductive.
Tom Selleck plays a reporter that is also gay. I anticipated the movie would use that character to denounce the stereotype, but it doesn't. The reporter is there just as a prop for Howard to explore his own feelings. The problem I have with the movie is that it asserts if a man isn't manly enough he's probably gay. That simply isn't true.

Kline does a great job as Howard. There's an extended sequence where he listens to an audio book about how to be more masculine that's really funny, albeit very pointed.

Howard finally realizes, after denying it the entire movie, that he is in fact gay. This of course happens during his wedding to Emily (Joan Cusack). There's a great moment where his student defend him, citing they caught the gay. The school fired Howard because they didn't want his influence on the students, yet he's been a teacher for decades and they never had a problem. That part of the movie did a great job of capturing the unwarranted fear and actions people take.

This is an enjoyable movie, mainly due to Kline's performance. A teacher being outed would have been a bigger deal in the '90s, but less so now.