Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
A midwestern teacher questions his sexuality after a former student makes a comment about him at the Academy Awards.
In & Out is a charming, good-natured comedy that handles its gay-themed premise with warmth and some genuine wit. Kevin Kline delivers a strong comedic performance as the flustered teacher Howard Brackett, and the supporting cast — including Tom Selleck and Joan Cusack — adds considerable entertainment value. The plot is light and formulaic in places but benefits from its timely cultural moment and clever framing device around the Oscars. Cinematography is standard TV-movie-adjacent work with little visual distinction. The ending leans into feel-good crowd-pleasing territory rather than anything surprising, but lands effectively. The film holds a modest novelty for its era in treating gay identity with humor and relative sympathy in a mainstream Hollywood package, though it doesn't break radically new ground.