IN & OUT (1997) (***)

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This is a funny movie. A little over-the-top (but what do you expect from a film about a guy who doesn't know he's gay) and on-the-nose at times, but pretty consistently chuckle inducing. It has a madcap charm that strains credibility at times, but it never reaches too far for its many laughs.

Howard Brackett (Kevin Kline, DE-LOVELY) is a well-liked high school English teacher who is about to marry fellow teacher Emily Montgomery (Joan Cusack, SCHOOL OF ROCK). They sit down to watch the Oscars because one of their former students Cameron Drake (Matt Dillon, THE OUTSIDERS) has been nominated for playing a gay soldier. During Drake’s acceptance speech, the actor thanks Brackett for inspiring his performance because the teacher is gay. This is a huge surprise to the small town, but more so to Howard, whose wedding and job are put in jeopardy. In response, Howard does everything in his power to dispel the notion that he is a homosexual.

The film understands homosexual clichés and plays them perfectly for laughs. The humor is broad, sometimes too much so. For instance, the scene where Howard listens to masculinity self help tapes is funny, but it isn’t at all subtle. Same with the scene where Drake’s supermodel girlfriend Sonya (Shalom Harlow, HEAD OVER HEALS) is baffled by a rotary phone. The film really understands its subject and isn’t dumb or naïve about it.

Much of the film's success is due to the fine performance of its leads Kline and Cusack. Kline never plays "gay." He crafts the broad material as believably as possible, giving a performance when many others would have given us caricature. BIRDCAGE anyone? Cusack received an Oscar nomination for her role as Kline's confused fiancée. She's always been good, but her comedic instincts have never been better. Again, the broad material is made funnier because she doesn't go for laughs. Additionally, Tom Selleck (THREE MEN AND A BABY) is refreshingly good as a gay gossip news reporter named Peter Malloy.

The ending could have sold the previous over-the-top moments if it would have just went totally screwball, but it went the sappy PATCH ADAMS route instead. It doesn’t ruin the film because you like Howard enough that the maudlin ending isn’t groan inducing.

All and all the film is a solid entertainment. IN & OUT is content with the easy, harmless laugh rather then skewering the topic. This makes for a lighter fare that's content with pleasing instead of attempting to be provocative, despite its "controversial" subject matter. Plus, the name of Steven Seagal’s movie for which he receives an Oscar nomination is one of the funniest jokes I’ve heard in years.