# In & Out (film)

In & Out is a 1997 American comedy film directed by Frank Oz, written by Paul Rudnick, and starring Kevin Kline, Tom Selleck, Joan Cusack, Matt Dillon, Debbie Reynolds, Bob Newhart, Shalom Harlow, and Wilford Brimley. Cusack was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.
The film was inspired by Tom Hanks's tearful speech when he accepted his 1994 Oscar (for his role in Philadelphia), in which he mentioned his high-school drama coach Rawley Farnsworth, and his former classmate John Gilkerson, "two of the finest gay Americans, two wonderful men that I had the good fortune to be associated with." The film became one of mainstream Hollywood's first few attempts at a comedic "gay movie" of its era, and was widely noted at the time for a 12-second kiss between Kevin Kline and Tom Selleck.

## Plot

Howard Brackett is a well-liked English literature teacher, living a quiet life in the fictional town of Greenleaf, Indiana, with his fiancée and fellow teacher Emily Montgomery, who has low self-esteem and recently lost weight for the wedding.
The town is filled with anticipation over the nomination of Howard's former student Cameron Drake in the Best Actor category at the Academy Awards for his portrayal of a gay soldier in To Serve and Protect. Cameron wins, and in his acceptance speech he thanks Howard, dedicating the award to him, finishing his speech with "and he's gay".
Howard's family, friends, students, co-workers and Emily are shocked, but that is nothing compared to Howard's own reaction of disbelief and indignation. He angrily reassures those who know him that he is heterosexual. Reporters invade his hometown and harass him for interviews following the awards night telecast. Howard is placed under the scrutiny of his boss, Principal Tom Halliwell, who is uncomfortable with the attention being brought to the school.
Although the other reporters leave after getting their story, one stays behind: on-camera entertainment reporter Peter Malloy, who wants to wait the week out so he can cover Howard's wedding to Emily. Howard confesses to a priest who recommends he sleep with Emily in order to prove his heterosexuality. Howard finds he cannot go through with it due to his conflicting emotions and Emily's concern for his well-being.
Howard crosses paths with Peter, who reveals that he is gay. Peter narrates his own experience in coming out to his family. Howard insists that he is not gay, prompting Peter to kiss him. Although shocked, he reacts somewhat positively to the kiss.
Howard's final measure to restore his heterosexuality is the use of a self-help audio cassette, although that fails as well. During the wedding ceremony, Emily recites her vow without hesitation, but when Howard is prompted by the minister, he finally comes out as gay. The wedding is called off, and although Peter is proud of him, Howard is angry with himself for hurting Emily.
Howard is fired from the school because of his coming out. Despite no longer being on the faculty, he is allowed to attend the graduation ceremony to support his students and sits on stage with his former co-workers. Having learned of the ensuing media blitz while in Los Angeles, Cameron flies to his hometown with his supermodel girlfriend and shows up at the ceremony.
When Cameron learns that his former teacher became ineligible for the "Teacher of the Year" award due to being dismissed for being gay, he publicly questions if the reason given, that the community would not have supported Howard's continued employment, is valid. Spurred on by this, when one student who got into college—thanks to Howard's hard work—proclaims himself to be gay, his classmates join him to proclaim themselves to be gay as well, showing their support. Howard's family follows suit, as do his friends, and all the townsfolk assembled. Although Howard does not win "Teacher of the Year", Cameron presents him with his Oscar to the cheers of the crowd.
Howard's wedding-crazy mother finally gets a wedding—her own, when she and her husband renew their vows. Howard, Peter and the rest of the townsfolk attend the reception. Among the crowd are Emily and Cameron, who appear to have begun a relationship. Everyone dances to the Village People song "Macho Man".

## Cast

* Kevin Kline as Howard Brackett
* Tom Selleck as Peter Malloy
* Joan Cusack as Emily Montgomery
* Matt Dillon as Cameron Drake
* Debbie Reynolds as Bernice Brackett
* Wilford Brimley as Frank Brackett
* Gregory Jbara as Walter Brackett
* Shalom Harlow as Sonya
* Shawn Hatosy as Jack
* Zak Orth as Mike
* Bob Newhart as Tom Halliwell
* Lauren Ambrose as Vicky
* Alexandra Holden as Meredith
* Deborah Rush as Ava Blazer
* Lewis J. Stadlen as Edward Kenrow
* J. Smith-Cameron as Trina Paxton
* Kate McGregor-Stewart as Aunt Becky
* Debra Monk as Mrs. Lester
* Ernie Sabella as Aldo Hooper
* John Cunningham as the Voice on "Be a Man" Tape
* Gus Rogerson as Danny
* Dan Hedaya as a Military Attorney
* Joseph Maher as Father Tim
* William Parry as Fred Mooney
* William Duell as Emmett Wilson
* Alice Drummond as Aunt Susie
* Richard Woods as Revered Morgan
* Kevin Chamberlin as Carl Mickley
* Wally Dunn as Cousin Lenny
* Larry Clarke as Cousin Ernie
* June Squibb as Cousin Ellen
* Becky Ann Baker as Darlene
* Selma Blair as Cousin Linda
* Adam LeFevre and Bill Camp as Bachelor Party Guests
* Whoopi Goldberg as Herself
* Glenn Close as Herself
* Jay Leno as Himself

## Production

According to Frank Oz, production had to be stopped temporarily because "we all got sick...because we all got the flu." Oz and Wilford Brimley reportedly did not get along during production; however neither of them have ever elaborated on what caused the friction between the two.
Selected for its "beautiful auditorium, a great gymnasium" and other aesthetic qualities, the Pompton Lakes High School in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey was used extensively as a filming location for In & Out.
Some filming was done in Northport, New York, located on the north shore of Long Island in Suffolk County.

## Soundtrack

At first, Frank Oz asked Miles Goodman to do the music for In & Out. Goodman, who composed several of Oz's previous films, died before he could do so.
A soundtrack was released on Tuesday, September 23, 1997, featuring previously recorded songs as well as Marc Shaiman's instrumental music composed for the film.
* "I Will Survive" - Diana Ross
* "Wedding Preparations" (instrumental)
* "Everything's Coming up Roses" - Ethel Merman
* "'To Serve and Protect'" (instrumental)
* "Howard Is Outed" (instrumental)
* "The Morning After" (instrumental)
* "The Bachelor Party" (instrumental)
* "Interviews with Townsfolk" (instrumental)
* "Homosection" (instrumental)
* "I Don't" (instrumental)
* "Mom & Dad" (instrumental)
* "Cameron & Emily" (instrumental)
* "Crazy" - Patsy Cline
* "Teacher of the Year/People/The Wedding" (instrumental)
* "Macho Man" - Village People

## Release
### Critical reception

In & Out was well received by critics. The performances were widely praised, especially Cusack, who earned an Oscar nod, and Kline. The film also gained attention for depicting homosexuality in a "mainstream" comedy about "Middle America," which, Rita Kempley Howe wrote in The Washington Post, "manages to simultaneously flaunt and flout gay stereotypes." Critics also noted its generally asexual treatment of homosexuality: Janet Maslin commented in The New York Times that the film is not one "to associate gayness with actual sex," while TV Guide quipped that it "finally gets discussion about gay people out of the bedroom and into the record store." Despite generally positive reviews, several critics, even those who were complimentary, felt that the ending was weak and did not live up to the rest of the film.
The film has a 75% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 59 reviews, with an average rating of 6.9/10; the site's consensus states: "It doesn't always find comfortable ground between broad comedy and social commentary, but lively performances—especially from Kevin Kline and Joan Cusack—enrich In & Out's mixture of laughs and sexual tolerance." On Metacritic the film has a rating of 70 based on reviews from 18 critics.

### Accolades

| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| 20/20 Awards | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Joan Cusack | Nominated |
| Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Joan Cusack | Nominated |
| American Comedy Awards | Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Joan Cusack | Won |
| Artios Awards | Best Casting for Feature Film – Comedy | Margery Simkin | Nominated |
| Awards Circuit Community Awards | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Joan Cusack | Nominated |
| Blockbuster Entertainment Awards | Favorite Actor – Comedy | Kevin Kline | Nominated |
| Blockbuster Entertainment Awards | Favorite Actress – Comedy | Joan Cusack | Nominated |
| Blockbuster Entertainment Awards | Favorite Supporting Actor – Comedy | Tom Selleck | Nominated |
| Blockbuster Entertainment Awards | Favorite Supporting Actress – Comedy | Debbie Reynolds | Nominated |
| Boston Society of Film Critics Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Joan Cusack | 2nd Place |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Joan Cusack | Nominated |
| Chlotrudis Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Joan Cusack | Won |
| Critics' Choice Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Joan Cusack | Won |
| GLAAD Media Awards | Outstanding Film – Wide Release | Outstanding Film – Wide Release | Won |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Kevin Kline | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture | Joan Cusack | Nominated |
| MTV Movie Awards | Best Kiss | Kevin Kline and Tom Selleck | Nominated |
| New York Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Joan Cusack | Won |
| Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Comedy/Musical Actor | Kevin Kline | Nominated |
| Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Comedy/Musical Actress | Joan Cusack | Nominated |
| Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Joan Cusack | Nominated |
| Satellite Awards | Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Nominated |
| Satellite Awards | Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Kevin Kline | Nominated |
| Satellite Awards | Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Joan Cusack | Won |
| Society of Texas Film Critics Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Joan Cusack | Won |
American Film Institute recognition:
* AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs – Nominated

### Box office

The film did well at the box office, grossing $15,019,821 in its opening weekend and $63,856,929 over its entire theatrical run.

### Home media

In & Out was released on Region 1 DVD on October 21, 1998. The release does not include any extras besides the theatrical trailer. The Region 2 DVD was released on April 9, 2001. The film received a new 4K remaster and was released on Blu-ray on June 1, 2021 in the United States and is currently available on iTunes in 4K with Dolby Vision HDR.