Hannah Hecht's Blog

When I picked up In and Out, a 1997 semi-romantic comedy, from the stack of DVDs on the desk in our classroom, my expectation was that it would land somewhere in the realm between unwatchable and solidly good. And honestly, it ended up right on the line. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, but I also wouldn’t try and stop someone who was about to press play on her VCR (you know, back in ’97).

In and Out opens with Howard Brackett (Kevin Kline), a Shakespeare-loving English teacher in the small town of Greenleaf, Indiana, preparing for his wedding to fellow teacher Emily (Joan Cusack). When Cameron Drake (Matt Dillion), an actor and one of Brackett’s former students, “outs” Brackett on live television at the Academy Awards, Brackett’s life swings out of hand as he tries to convince the town, his fiancé and journalist Peter Malloy (Tom Selleck) that he is, in fact, straight.

Most of the movie felt really hokey to me. From the flat characters to the over-the-top, feel-good ending, the entire film felt insincere, even for a comedy movie.

None of the actors’ performances really stood out to me as being particularly good; however, I absolutely hated Cusack’s portrayal of Emily, a performance for which she (astonishingly) was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Emily’s only real character attribute is that she used to be fat, and the movie milks it for all that it’s worth. For example, at one point she is in a state of anguish, for very good reason, and she immediately grabs a bowl of peanuts and says she is going to “gorge herself.” You know, because peanuts are basically the most terrible and unhealthy thing you can possibly eat. And because, once you know that a woman used to be fat, then that’s really the only thing you need to know about her. During this same scene, she runs around screaming in an awful whining voice for what felt like fifteen minutes in a very unconvincing portrayal of her sadness.

Despite its low points, there are places where the movie shines. Through satire, it does a pretty solid job of conveying the silliness of both the media’s focus on trivial things and its treatment of gay celebrities. During one scene, Brackett finds himself backed up into a corner by journalists yelling out ridiculous questions about his sexuality (“Do you know Ellen?”) Moments like this are where the movie finds its high point. These scenes verge on satirically-biting and hilarious cultural criticism, although they end up missing the mark overall.

There’s a lot of potential for comedy in the main premise of this movie, but it didn’t quite make it. Maybe it could be good if it were remade today with funnier actors and more edgy writing. In and Out is the type of movie that I wouldn’t turn off if it were the only thing on television, but I definitely wouldn’t seek it out at the Blockbuster (again, 1997) or recommend it to a friend. 2 out of 4 stars.