In & Out (film)

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".

{{castlist|

• 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

}}

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.{{cite web |last1=Rossen |first1=Jake |title=10 Hearty Facts About Wilford Brimley |url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/557584/facts-about-wilford-brimley |website=Mental Floss |access-date=20 January 2019 |language=en |date=27 September 2018}}{{cite news|last=Clark|first=John|title=Frank Oz and that little voice inside|date=12 August 2007|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-aug-12-ca-frankoz12-story.html|access-date=1 December 2015|quote=Also in the guts-hating category are Wilford Brimley (with whom Oz crossed swords on "In & Out")...}}

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.{{Cite news|url=http://teaneck.dailyvoice.com/lifestyle/pompton-lakes-remembers-when-debbie-reynolds-came-to-town/694693/|title=Pompton Lakes Remembers When Debbie Reynolds Came To Town|newspaper=Teaneck Daily Voice|access-date=2017-02-10}}

Some filming was done in Northport, New York, located on the north shore of Long Island in Suffolk County.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newsday.com/news/northport-diner-started-as-dining-car-ended-up-in-movie-in-out-d54299|title=Northport diner started as dining car, ended up in movie 'In & Out'|first=Brittany|last=Wait|date=September 7, 2013|work=Newsday}}

{{Infobox album

| name = In & Out Soundtrack

| type = soundtrack

| artist = Various Artists / Marc Shaiman

| cover =

| alt =

| released = September 23, 1997

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| studio =

| genre = Soundtrack

| length =

| label = Motown

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}}

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.{{cite web|last=Plume|first=Kenneth|title=Interview with Frank Oz (Part 3 of 4) |date=10 February 2000|website=IGN|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/02/10/interview-with-frank-oz-part-3-of-4|access-date=25 March 2015}}

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.

1. "I Will Survive" - Diana Ross
2. "Wedding Preparations" (instrumental)
3. "Everything's Coming up Roses" - Ethel Merman
4. "'To Serve and Protect'" (instrumental)
5. "Howard Is Outed" (instrumental)
6. "The Morning After" (instrumental)
7. "The Bachelor Party" (instrumental)
8. "Interviews with Townsfolk" (instrumental)
9. "Homosection" (instrumental)
10. "I Don't" (instrumental)
11. "Mom & Dad" (instrumental)
12. "Cameron & Emily" (instrumental)
13. "Crazy" - Patsy Cline
14. "Teacher of the Year/People/The Wedding" (instrumental)
15. "Macho Man" - Village People

In & Out was well received by critics. The performances were widely praised, especially Cusack,{{cite web | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/19/movies/film-review-yo-what-a-fabulous-window-treatment.html | title = Yo! What a Fabulous Window Treatment | date = September 19, 1997 | first= Janet |last=Maslin |author-link=Janet Maslin | work =The New York Times}} who earned an Oscar nod, and Kline.{{cite news|last1=Ebert |first1= Roger |date=September 19, 1997 |author-link=Roger Ebert |title= In & Out movie review & film summary (1997) |url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/in-and-out-1997 |work= Chicago Sun-Times }} The film also gained attention for depicting homosexuality in a "mainstream" comedy about "Middle America,"{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/1997/09/26/out-3/ |date=1997-09-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070526103458/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,289552,00.html |archive-date=2007-05-26 |url-status=live |title=In & Out |first=Lisa |last=Schwarzbaum |author-link=Lisa Schwarzbaum |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}} which, Rita Kempley Howe wrote in The Washington Post, "manages to simultaneously flaunt and flout gay stereotypes."{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/review97/inandoutkemp.htm |title=In & Out, Closet Encounters |date=September 19, 1997 |first=Rita |last=Kempley Howe |newspaper=The Washington Post}} 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."{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/in-and-out/review/2030009504/ |title=In & Out: Review |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213042233/http://movies.tvguide.com/out/132078 |archive-date=2013-12-13 |url-status=live |website=TV Guide}} 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.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/review97/inandouthowe.htm |title=In & Out's Half Empty Closet |first=Desson |last=Thomson |date=September 19, 1997 |author-link=Desson Thomson |newspaper=The Washington Post}}

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."{{cite web | url = http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/in_and_out/ | title = In & Out | website = Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=August 7, 2024 }} On Metacritic the film has a rating of 70 based on reviews from 18 critics.{{cite web | url = http://www.metacritic.com/movie/in-out/critic-reviews | title = In & Out | website = Metacritic}}

American Film Institute recognition:

• AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs – Nominated{{cite web|url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/laughs500.pdf |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs Nominees |access-date=2013-11-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110313150538/http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/laughs500.pdf |archive-date=March 13, 2011 |url-status=dead}}

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.{{cite web | url = http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=inandout.htm | title = In & Out | website = Box Office Mojo}}

In & Out was released on Region 1 DVD on October 21, 1998.{{cite book|title=In & Out |asin=6305127670 }} The release does not include any extras besides the theatrical trailer. The Region 2 DVD was released on April 9, 2001.{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000058E3M |title=In & Out |website=Amazon.co.uk}} The film received a new 4K remaster and was released on Blu-ray on June 1, 2021 in the United States{{Cite web|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/In-and-Out-Blu-ray/133326/|title=In and Out Blu-ray|website=blu-ray.com}} and is currently available on iTunes in 4K with Dolby Vision HDR.{{Cite web|title=In & Out on iTunes|date=19 September 1997|url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/in-out/id359055514|website=iTunes|language=en-US|access-date=2021-06-12}}

• List of LGBT-related films

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{{wikiquote|In & Out}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:In and Out}}

Category:1997 films

Category:1997 comedy films

Category:1997 LGBTQ-related films

Category:1990s American films

Category:1990s English-language films

Category:American comedy films

Category:American LGBTQ-related films

Category:Films about anti-LGBTQ sentiment

Category:Films about educators

Category:Films about actors

Category:Films about weddings in the United States

Category:Films directed by Frank Oz

Category:Films produced by Scott Rudin

Category:Films scored by Marc Shaiman

Category:Films set in 1997

Category:Films set in Indiana

Category:Films shot in New Jersey

Category:Films shot in New York (state)

Category:Films with screenplays by Paul Rudnick

Category:Gay-related films

Category:Homophobia in fiction

Category:LGBTQ-related comedy films

Category:Paramount Pictures films

Category:Satellite Award–winning films

Category:Spelling Films films