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Seeing Matt Dillon on the Red Carpet at the Oscars this year immediately brought back memories of In & Out—and it compelled me to pull my old VHS copy out of the cupboard and watch it again. Though I’ve seen it more times than I can count, it’s still every bit as funny now as it was the first time I saw it.
In & Out takes place in the small town of Greenleaf, Indiana, where everyone’s got something to be excited about. Greenleaf High’s graduation is just days away—as is the long-awaited wedding of Greenleaf’s favorite teachers, Howard Brackett (Kevin Kline) and Emily Montgomery (Joan Cusack). But even more exciting is the Oscar nomination of Greenleaf’s own Cameron Drake (Matt Dillon), who’s nominated for his daring role as a gay soldier in To Serve and Protect.
Excitement builds even more when Cameron wins. Then, in his acceptance speech, he thanks Mr. Brackett—his inspiring gay high school teacher.
All of Greenleaf is stunned—not the least of which is Howard. His parents are devastated. Emily is speechless. And Howard’s boss warns him that if there’s no wedding, he can forget about his teaching job. To make matters worse, the press has swooped down on Greenleaf—and Peter Malloy (Tom Selleck) has promised to stay until after the wedding.
Meanwhile, the town’s residents debate Howard’s sexuality. After all, he does teach poetry. And he’s so neat—and a little prissy. And he loves Barbra Streisand… But Howard’s determined to prove to them—and to Cameron Drake and the rest of the country—that he’s all man.
Brokeback High School isn’t not, but there’s just so much to love about In & Out. The characters are wonderful. Cusack is perfect for the role of Emily, who’s in a near-constant state of freak-out. Selleck is wonderfully vain as the failing reporter. Dillon is hilarious as the melodramatic over-actor. And Kline, well, he’s exquisite.
While the story isn’t without its share of cheesiness, it’s filled with scenes that will make you laugh until it hurts—like Howard’s bachelor party, where a fight breaks out over whether Barbra Streisand was too old to play Yentl.
In & Out isn’t for everybody. If you can’t handle Will & Grace, for example, you’ll want to steer clear. But if you can handle an hour and a half of gay humor, you’ll find that In & Out is outrageously funny.
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