In & Out
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- This article is about In & Out, the movie. For the fast-food restaurant, see In-N-Out.
In & Out, the 1997 movie starring Kevin Kline and Tom Selleck, was one of Hollywood's few attempts at a comedy "gay movie".
The film was inspired by Tom Hanks's tearful speech when he accepted his 1994 Oscar (for his role in Philadelphia), in which he "outed" 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 screenplay, written by gay screenwriter Paul Rudnick (who also wrote Jeffrey), introduces us to Howard Brackett (Kevin Kline), an English literature teacher living a quiet life in Greenleaf, Indiana and his fiancée, fellow teacher Emily (Joan Cusack).
Plot synopsis
Amid eager anticipation in his hometown, a former student of Brackett's, Cameron Drake (Matt Dillon), who has achieved Hollywood stardom, is nominated for an Academy Award. Cameron does indeed win the Best Actor award for playing a gay soldier, and in his acceptance speech finally thanks his teacher, and adds "…and he's gay!"
Howard's parents, friends and fiancée are naturally shocked, but that is nothing compared to Howard's own disbelief.
The next day, naïve Howard learns about the nature of news media when he finds his workplace surrounded by reporters looking for him.
One of them even seems to have a personal interest in him: Peter Malloy (Tom Selleck), himself gay, is visibly delighted with Howard's repeated but in the end unsuccessful attempts to turn things back to "normal".
After Howard's final measure, an audio cassette that is supposed to restore his "manliness", fails, he finally accepts the truth, just in time for Emily to race off with Cameron Drake, who had a crush on her in high school.