In & Out

Rating:
Summary: This was hilarious!!!
Review: Alot of gay people were offended buy this flick, but I'm not gay and I thought this was hilarious. Stop taking things so seriously, I can watch a movie that stereotypes white people and one that has racial slurs against white people and laugh my head off, because there only joking! That is all this movie is doing. It's taking an akward situation and turned into a laugh out loud comedy! Anyway, the story is about a Hollywood heartthrob "outs" his small-town high-school drama teacher Howard Brackett during the Oscar telecast, the entire town of Greenleaf, Indiana, wonders if Howard's really gay. The result is a film that delivers constant laughs and a golden opportunity for its fine cast to show off their considerable comedic talents. I don't care what anyone says, this movie is hilarious, and that is the final word, I mean if I like it, then it must be good.

Rating:
Summary: Sorry but this movie was really dumb!
Review: ... The truth is, I hated this movie. My mom rented it a few weeks ago. I decided to watch along, thinking it might be amusing. It ended up however to just be plain stupid. At first it seemed like an interesting plot, but after the beginning conflict started it just ended up a mess! Actor Kevin Kline plays Howard Brackett, a high school English teacher who loves what he does. He has a three year engagement with his fiance Emily played by Joan Cusack and the wedding is to take place in a few weeks. Unfortunatly, there later is a twist in the plot when a graduate (Cameron Drake played by Matt Dillon) wins an Academy Award. It seemed good for the writers at that part in the movie, because the twist is that Cameron talks about people in his life that were gay, which as he says included his high school English teacher. I thought the movie might go somewhere from that point on. No, it didn't. The big mistake the director made was to have everyone in the school and town believe him right away. It would have made the movie a lot more interesting if there was a little more tension and people took a lot longer to actually listen to Howard's plea that he is not gay. The movie goes on and on, along with bad acting and scene changes. You end up wondering if this actually was supposed to be in theaters, or if it was a skit on Saturday night Live. To go along with predictability Howard finds out for himself that he actually is gay. Everyone of course is stunned since they as I said earlier right away agreed with his plea that he wasn't. My overall point is: Do not get this movie. You will take it back immediatly if you do. I was really surprised this was a hit and I think Frank Oz should stick to muppeteering if he knows whats good for him. F-

Rating:
Summary: good message, dumb messenger
Review: This is a hard movie to review because I really wanted to like the message, but ultimately had to settle for disliking the messenger. I am a fairly progressive pro-gay rights person, and was looking forward to a smart, liberating and interesting comedy about being gay. But the screenplay for this movie was so hamfisted that only the considerable acting talents of Kevin Kline (to some extent, but not nearly as much as some people think) and Tom Selleck saved it from one star territory. Joan Cusack has certainly done good work -some much better than this (see for example "Cradle Will Rock") but she did not deserve the best supporting actress nomination for this trite example of one-dimensional hysteria.

I did enjoy some of the Barbra jokes (note the spelling please) and the parody of the "de-programming" audio course on how to realize your inner heterosexual was initially quite funny but like a bad Saturday Night Live sketch, it just went on and on and on until gradually I lost any sympathy I might have had for the characters or the plotline. I'm still waiting for the cinematic setting that does true justice to "Macho Man" by the way, -it certainly wasn't the ending scene in this movie.

The fact that people fell all over themselves to praise this lame Hollywood attempt at commercial PC comedy just goes to show that cinematic liberation will not be achieved by suited corporate drones with degrees in communication and an eye on the bottom line.

I'm not an activist (although if going on a few Pride Marches and AIDS walks count me as bound for the Pit, then I guess I'm on my way) and I'm not very familiar with the intimate details of the lives of lots of gay people, but I have a fairly good cross section of gay friends, co-workers and acquaintances and I can't say this movie was even one tenth as funny, pointed or perceptive as the real gay people I know.

The ideas in this movie were expressed much more effectively (at least to me) by more skillful and imaginative gay-positive movies such as "Priscilla Queen of the Desert", "The Naked Civil Servant" "Four Weddings and a Funeral", "The Full Monty", and even (god help us) "To Wong Foo With Love". The fact that the first four are NOT US movies is not a coincidence. Treating gay people as if they were defined by their personhood and not their sexuality seems to me to be a much more satisfying route than going on (and on and on) about whether someone likes to dance or how they walk or how they use their hands.

Ultimately the real scandal in this movie, in my opinion, was not its treatment of gay people, but rather the way it depicted a hero who could afford to decorate his own home in such "Town and Country Living"-style opulence on a small-town public school English teacher's salary.

Rating:
Summary: So much fun.
Review: This is a great video that I have watched many times. The script is original, and the actors act well. The irony is apparent, and it keeps you laughing through most of the film.

Rating:
Summary: Guilty Pleasure??
Review: I've just watched this movie for maybe the fourth time, and laughed hysterically throughout. That may not seem so amazing, save for the fact that I hated this film upon first viewing at the theater. Though I'm not that political, I guess that, after reading the reviews, I was primed to hate what seemed to be a generic, pasteurized, hetero-ized version of gay life. I ho-hummed my way through it, with an occasional sneer thrown in, and only the most hesitant of a snicker or two. Thinking that I'd never bother to see it again, I did just that when my signifigant other bought the video a few months later. Having relaxed a little, I viewed it with a non-judgemental-let's-just-try-and-enjoy-this-attitude. And, surprisingly...did. Attitude does have alot to do with whether or not you're going to enjoy this film. If you're expecting a perfect portrayal or an over-all view of gay life, you're probably going to be offended. So, don't (expect it). It's a STORY, a simple, very funny story about one man's experience, improbable at times, yes. It is PURE entertainment, and no more representative of gay life than "Beach Blanket Bingo" is of straight life. The comic performances are all great. Kevin Kline is very funny and likable , and I found his "meek" portrayal appropriate to the story. Joan Cusack is side-splittingly funny as the jilted bride, and is just as effective with a facial expression as with a great line. Tom Selleck is great also, cast against type, as the gay reporter, and displays real comic ability in his delivery. Matt Dillon is very humourous also, as the Brad Pitt - like actor, who's so cool that he's corny. And real life supermodel Shalom Harlow hysterically turns the tables on her own profession in her cameo as the vacuous supermodel girlfriend of Dillons "Cameron Drake", and her portrayal is dead-on. There are numerous funny scenes, some subtle, that are uncovered at each viewing. There were a few parts that I could have done without, if just on an artistic level, such as the "I'm gay"..."I'm gay" supposedly supportive proclimations from the filled auditorium. Maybe younger gays wouldn't find this film that funny, but, many from the "Baby Boomer" generation and before would be fibbing if they said that some of the so-called stereotypes aren't true, I mean, Merman... Streisand, HELLO??!! I could round up about 50 friends today that would be cracking up at the familiarity of these portrayals. I'm sure that maybe some radical gays would accuse me, or anyone who finds this film or any of its kind humourous, of being self-loathing. On the contrary, it is my opinion that it takes the opposite of that to be able to laugh at ones self, or, certain of ones undeniable traits or tastes. And laugh I did... alot. If you want to view this movie as propoganda, or be offended by it, you probably will be. Also, some may just not find it that funny, that's what personal taste is all about. But, if you want to just enjoy what I found (after I "lightened up" a little) to be a very funny, touching, silly, heartwarming film, I would definatley recommend "In & Out."

Rating:
Summary: Funny, Touching, and Very Capra-esque
Review: Many people complain that this film deals in stereotypes and dips into feel-good-preachiness toward the end--all of which is quite true. But for all the controversy surrounding the premise of a presumably straight highschool teacher who is "outed"--maybe falsely, maybe not--by a former student on national television, "IN & OUT" is essentially a classic Capra-style comedy, and comical stereotypes and feel-good-preachiness is part of the basic equipment. It is precisely the sort of film Capra might have made in 1939 with Jimmy Stewart and Jean Arthur, only brought up to date and given a modern spin.

The performances, particularly from Kline, Cusack, and a very unexpected Tom Selleck, are nothing short of brilliant; the script is both witty and funny and moves a long at a fast pace; and everything about the films leaves you wishing (unless you happen to be hysterically homophobic) that things really turned out like that in real life. Realistic movie? Of course not--but then neither was "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" or "Meet John Doe" or "It Happened One Night." Kind and clever and witty and lots of fun? Absolutely. And any one who is kind and clever and witty will have lots of fun watching it.

Rating:
Summary: The most infuriating movie I have ever seen!
Review: In & Out is about the cruelest, sickest, most heartless joke ever played on a person in cinema history and the film doesn't even know it!

For starters, I never believed--ever---that Kevin Kline's character was gay. Why? Because (1) we are never given an explanation as to why his former student (Matt Dillion) outted him on public TV, three days before his wedding,when it was never questioned by anyone (2)his homosexuality his based entirely on stereotypes, the same ones which are later mocked by a room full of people in defense of Kline being gay,(3) the screenplay completely shut Kline's character up after he came out (except for a few meaningless words), and (4) he was endlessly pressured to 'come out' by an annoying TV journalist (Tom Selleck) who even went as far as kissing him unexpectedly, and the film had the audacity to claim that gays *never* recruit!!

This film is simply a propaganda piece disguised as a comedy. (...)The teaser at the end of the film, in my opinion, was unforgivable.

Folks, use your brains while watching this garbage, since very few people apparently have who've seen it. The underlying dishonesty is there. This film has an agenda all its own, and it is not to make us laugh.

Rating:
Summary: A feel-good riot
Review: What a hoot this endearing comedy is. Kevin Kline is excellent as the high school teacher, who may or may not be gay, but the entire cast is outstanding from Joan Cusack, as his long-suffering fiancee, to Debbie Reynolds, as his wedding-addicted mother. ("I want this wedding," she tells Kline. "It's like heroin.")

Paul Rudnick's wickedly clever script takes its cue from Tom Hanks' real-life acceptance speech at the 1994 Oscars, in which the latter thanked his GAY high school teacher for inspiring him to make the movie Philadelphia. In the movie it is Matt Dillon who makes the same speech after winning the Best Actor Award in another supposedly "breakthrough" gay-themed film. (This movie-within-a-movie is itself a gay parody of Born on the Fourth of July.)

Rudnick's gift for creating memorable characters and hilarious dialogue make this the kind of movie that can be watched over and over again. At the same time, he also achieves what no "serious" gay movie has succeeded in doing: he exposes the absurdity of homophobia. Humour, rather than preaching, is his weapon.

Special mention should be made of Tom Selleck, whose jaded trash reporter is one of his most enjoyable - and daring - portrayals.

A riot from start to finish.

Rating:
Summary: Not great; full of stereotypes...
Review: The premise of the movie about a high school teacher 'outed' on prime time television has a lot of potential as a comedy, but could have been a lot better. While some of the humor hits the target, the film is full of stereotypes - perhaps intentionally so - which in some scenes insult the intelligence of its audience. Anyone who would watch this movie is probably open-minded enough to deal with the subject of homosexuality, so the attempt to show that 'being gay is okay' probably was aimed in the wrong direction. I disagree that the film is 'propaganda'; it tries to show both sides of the issue, but does come off as a bit preachy, though well-intentioned. I think the Barbara Striesand jokes got a little old - none of my gay friends listen to her! And to imply that a gay man will inevitably break into dance to "I Will Survive" - oh, please! A bit too silly.

Rating:
Summary: Joan Cusack deserves an Oscar!
Review: Lighthearted and very witty at the same time. Paul Rudnick crafted an excellent script. If I may reveal a secret: I keep watching this movie over and over again, it is so appealing it makes me anxious to see the next scene. Need I rave about the cast? Kline is always great. Joan Cusack, holy shnykis is she funny. She has the best expression of anger (and lament) in film history, like Nic Cage and Al Pacino for instance. And Bob Newhart: I nearly wet my pants when at the end he observes the entire dance with his Buster Keaton-like stoneface. As trivial as this move may seem, I think it is a valuable asset in dispelling (and poking fun at) anti-gay prejudices. Perhaps the humor disguises the often painful experience of many gays and lesbians to come out in a infinitely more hostile environment than Greenleaf, Indiana. Keep up the fight!!