In & Out (1997)
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A high school teacher's life is upended when a former student publicly outs him as gay during an Academy Awards acceptance speech.
The story
Howard Brackett is a well-liked English literature teacher living a quiet life in the fictional town of Greenleaf, Indiana, with his fiancée, Emily Montgomery. While Howard embodies several gay stereotypes, he remains in a chaste relationship with Emily. The town's attention shifts to Howard's former student, Cameron Drake, who wins an Academy Award for his portrayal of a gay soldier. During his acceptance speech, Cameron publicly outs Howard as a gay man. This announcement transforms Howard's life into a media circus, leading to intense scrutiny from the press and his school principal as he struggles to maintain his public image before his upcoming wedding.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Howard Brackett, an English literature teacher in Greenleaf, Indiana, is publicly outed as gay by his former student, Cameron Drake, during an Academy Awards speech. While Howard initially denies the rumors, the media circus intensifies. A reporter, Peter Malloy, seeks to cover Howard's wedding. Howard is advised by a priest to sleep with his fiancée, Emily, to prove his heterosexuality, but he finds he cannot. He meets Peter, who reveals he is also gay; after a kiss, Howard realizes his feelings. During the wedding ceremony, Howard finally comes out as gay, breaking Emily's heart and canceling the nuptials. Howard is fired from his school but is allowed to attend the graduation. Cameron returns to town and questions the community's decision to fire Howard. A student Howard helped eventually comes out, and the townspeople join in a show of support. Howard is eventually presented with Cameron's Oscar by the crowd. The film ends with Howard, Peter, and the townsfolk dancing to 'Macho Man' at a vow renewal for Howard's mother.
- First release year
- 1997
- Runtime (minutes)
- 92
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Frank Oz
- Writers
- Paul Rudnick · writer
- Cast and characters
- Kevin Kline · Howard Brackett; Tom Selleck; Joan Cusack · Emily Montgomery; Matt Dillon · Cameron Drake; Debbie Reynolds; Bob Newhart; Shalom Harlow; Wilford Brimley
- Genres
- comedy; LGBTQ-related
- Themes
- Coming out; Homophobia; Identity; Small-town dynamics
- Tone and mood
- Comedy; Mainstream
- Premise and plot tags
- Teacher; Wedding; Actor; Homosexuality
- Source material / true-story basis
- Inspired by Tom Hanks's 1994 Academy Awards acceptance speech for Philadelphia
- Reception
- The film was a commercial and critical success, praised for its performances and for its mainstream depiction of homosexuality in a small-town setting.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 74% · review count: 58; Metacritic · score: 70 · review count: 18
- Production trivia
- Production was temporarily halted due to the cast and crew contracting influenza.; The film was inspired by Tom Hanks's 1994 Academy Awards acceptance speech.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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