I saw this film many times in my youth, and at one point actually liked it...until I realized how truly saturated it is with disreputable ideas and tactics.The story revolves around Howard Brackett, a happily-engaged schoolteacher living in the small town of Greenleaf, Indiana. His parents support him, his friends like him, and so do some of his students.But that all changes when former student Cameron Drake, who's since become a famous movie star, dedicates his win at an Oscar ceremony to Howard...labeling him gay in the process. This turns Howard's world upside down, as the local gossips assume Drake's claim must be true. Howard doesn't know what to do, and his attempts to handle the situation fail miserably. This is probably one of the most prominent areas of the film, where the propaganda's on full display...prior to the climax (more on that later).Howard's whole method of presenting himself is mocked by various people; some criticize his choice of clothing, while others condemn his affection for the films of Barbra Streisand. Another method of "research" involves him trying to resist dancing to the song "I Will Survive", an audio recording previously insisting "truly manly men do not dance, for any reason." When Howard gives in, the recording asks, "How did you do...pussy boy?" An openly-gay reporter (played by Tom Selleck, of all people) kisses Howard at a street intersection, supposedly attempting to force some kind of "truth" on the teacher. Howard's so freaked out by this, his only objection is it happened at the intersection. Desperate for answers and less chaos, he goes to a priest...who recommends he have sex with his fiancée before the wedding. No, I'm not making it up - that's in the film. He attempts to do so, only to be reassured by his bride-to-be...then breaks her heart at the ceremony by submitting to the pressure and declaring himself gay.It all culminates when Howard is nominated for Teacher of the Year at his school, but the administration bars him due to fear of a potential scandal. Suddenly, Cameron Drake arrives in the auditorium, asking the staff members if all the chaos is about "the gay thing". Their manner of refusal is clearly depicted with intentional mockery, of anyone who would oppose homosexuality for any reason. To drive the film's whole point home (namely, that "gay is okay" and all who disagree are stupid and/or hateful), Howard's present-day students all declare themselves gay; one even says "If there's something wrong with Mr. Brackett, there's something wrong with me." Howard's own parents soon join in this mocking form of "support", along with the town's fire brigade. The final scene has Howard dancing to the Village People song "Macho Man", while his former fiancée cozes up to Drake.The only reason I gave this film more than one star, is because there's some very brief moments which actually made me laugh. The biggest one is probably a scene between Howard's fiancée and the reporter who kissed him. Its the night of the crashed wedding, and in desperation she propositions him. Informing her he's gay sends her crashing out the door of the bar they're in, to which she screams into the night, "IS EVERYBODY GAY?!" That question could very well have been the film's title; it certainly fits the overall premise.

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." Comes on of Hollywood's first mainstream "Gay" comedies. Plot In A Paragraph: Howard Brackett (Kevin Kline) is a high school teacher with an attractive fiancé named Emily and respect from everyone. Everything changes in one night when a former high school student of his, named Cameron Drake (Matt Dillon), now a famous Hollywood actor wins an Academy Award for his portrayal of a homosexual army soldier and 'outs' Howard Brackett as his inspiration for his role. The media circus immediately begins as Howard desperately keeps protesting that he is not gay and that the whole thing is a simple misunderstanding. All the cast do a great job, with the stand outs being Kevin Kline and Joan Cusack. Matt Dillon, Tom Selleck, Debbie Reynolds, Bob Newhart, and Wilford Brimley all give great support, and are a lot of fun. Joan Cusack (Whom I have loved since I first saw "Working Girl") was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance, and can consider herself unlucky to lose to Kim Basinger for "L.A Confidential". The end is a bit weak, but that is only nit picking!! And it does not spoil the enjoyment of this movie.

You know, I heard about this movie a lot, since it's been repeatedly shown in Brazilian cable; after months of seeing its name, I decided to give it a chance and, oh boy, I made the right decision. "In & Out" is the funniest movie I've seen recently. It has one of the most intelligent stories I have ever seen! Every hilarious scene is filled with irony and self-directed criticism to the own American society, who tries to hide everything that doesn't fit well. The most clever and sarcastic scene is when Howard states he's gay in moment of her wedding, and once his mother hears that, she tries to fix it by saying "he meant he is having a wonderful day". From that moment on, I just kept constantly laughing, getting surprised every while. Other than that, not only directing and writing are great, but the cast is also extremely professional, delivering unexpected situations all the time. It's also interesting to notice how filmmakers show the way men are supposed to behave; we've always been induced to not dance, sing, speak mildly and stuff like that, otherwise we'd be compared to female or homosexual guys, which we should run from. You know, this movie was released in 1997, but current society is still very chauvinist and intolerant, in a point that I don't know if it changed significantly since the nineties. The controversy whether the main character is gay or not is irrelevant in this movie, given that the main pursuit is show how people behave in situations like that-- and I may state it's completely real. So that's it. "In & Out" is one of the most mature, clever and surprising comedies you'll ever get a chance to see. Congratulations for the team!

There's nothing wrong with being gay. But this movie shamefully plays on the worn-out stereotype that if a guy likes fashion or musicals or some other activity that's the antithesis of being Mr. Macho, then he must be gay.Most of these myths seem to be spread by guys obsessed with their machoism. They're quick to ridicule any guy who's not a regular beer drinker and always bragging about his sex-capades, and especially any guy who enjoys something only women should like. Unfortunately, too many people buy into this mindset. Beneath it all though, those guys probably have a group-think mindset, and are a bit insecure if some guy isn't part of the herd.If a person is attracted to someone of the opposite sex, they're straight. If they're attracted to someone of the same sex, they're gay. If they're attracted to both, they're bisexual. And it's this sole fact that determines their sexual orientation. Too often, people lose sight of this simple fact.