In and Out (1997)
Written by Paul Rudnick
Directed by Frank Oz
Starring: Kevin Kline, Joan Cusack, Tom Selleck, and Debbie Reynolds...
okay...and Matt Dillon.
A Review by Jeremiah "Spassvogel" Rickert
I've always been a Kevin Kline fan, Silverado, Fish Called Wanda, Pirates of Penzance, and even his Hamlet on PBS' Great Performances. The minute I saw the trailer for this film, I resolved to see it. Besides the fact that Kline starred, it looked like a hilarious film. I got sucker punched by the trailer to an extent, however, as I also thought, "wow, if there's this much funny stuff in the trailer, there must be a ton of laughs in the rest of the film." (Oops) I packed up the wife and headed to Les Cinemas Del Diablo (my name for our local Multi-multi-plex.) The film began.... The film concerns an English/Drama teacher at a suburban high school, named Howard Brackett. He loves poetry and great literary works, but his class is more interested in his famous former student, played by Matt Dillon. (I'd put in his name, but my wife won't let me take notes during a movie and I've forgotten it.) They continually interrupt his long poetic expositions with fawning questions about him. Brackett has been engaged to another teacher (played by Joan Cusack) for three years, and has finally gotten up the gumption to marry her. The wedding, however, becomes the big question mark of the film as this famous student of his says during the Live Oscar broadcast that Brackett is a homosexual. Kline spends most of the first two-thirds of the film frantically trying to convince everyone that he isn't. The whole town begins to examine every detail of his life and begins to identifying all those things that confirm his sexual preference. His closest friends don't help matters, bringing nothing but Barbara Streisand laserdiscs to his stag party. There are some genuinely hilarous moments, one involving a tape geared towards helping men assert their masculinity. Kline is hounded by a gay reporter played by Tom Selleck, who waxes poetic on the benefits of coming out, while at the same time doing his best to exploit the situation for his own sleazy tabloid machinations. The movie moves along fine and slowly builds to the climax of the wedding. Kline stands at the Altar and is asked to take his vows... If you want to be surprised, don't read, I am going to reveal the ending. ...instead of saying "I do" in front of his parents and most of the town, and even some cameras, he says "I'm Gay." This is where the movie, in my opinion falls apart. Most of the humor in the film had come from Kline's insistence that he was straight, while at the same time, loving poetry and being a senstivie guy, dressing well, and occaisionally acting prissy. It reminded me of the "Effeminate Heterosexual" sketch from Saturday Night Live. It was funny, it was sustainably funny, and Kline's performance made it doubly so. However, after the wedding, the film drags on. They should have attempted to come to a quick conclusion, but it then gets into the serious side of what he's done. He reconciles with his parents and his friends, some of which had turned on him. There are several scenes which seemed like a waste of time, the scene with his Mother and her friends, which was hilarious, seemed pointless, and the scene with Tom Selleck in the Bar with Joan seemed pointless. Finally, even though I am not Catholic, I found the scene with the Priest to be condescending. The preist cannot believe that a man was engaged for three years and had not consumated the relationship, proclaiming to Brackett in the third person, "He's Gay." It got a chuckle from the audience, but I was distracted by it, and began to tire of the film. By the time the wedding had come and gone, I found myself hoping it would be over soon. (much like this review you are saying)
Overall, if I have to quantify it, I say, Rising Action gets **** and Climax and falling action gets *1/2 out of *****. See it in economy time.
jr --
Jeremiah "Spassvogel" Rickert 6'7" 320 lbs of Dr. Pepper and Pez Candy.
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