Absurd 'Out' is definitely in

In today's complicated and extremely touchy world of sexual politics, homophobia is no laughing matter - but who knew it could be so damn funny?

REVIEW
	In & Out At Briarwood and Showcase

Homophobia, along with many other things, is hilarious in "In & Out," written by openly gay playwright Paul Rudnick, who takes everything remotely uptight or prejudiced about the world and makes it a dormant deer at an NRA convention.

Because Rudnick is gay, the hilarious and devilishly clever "In & Out" doesn't take on an insulting tone, but rather brings the issue of homosexuality, which shouldn't be an issue at all, back down to Earth with some good old-fashioned satire - nothing is sacred from Rudnick's naked gun; he's got everyone from farm matrons to supermodels and everything from the Midwest to Hollywood in his sights.

Still, the film gets its best tongue-in-cheek ammunition from gay stereotypes and fears in the over-the-top story of small-town teacher Howard Brackett (Kevin Kline) and the chaos his life becomes when a former student announces that Howard was an early gay inspiration.

See, this normally wouldn't be a problem for Howard - he acknowledges that he's clean, neat, uses his napkin and loves Barbra Streisand - but the announcement comes from newly christened flavor of the month Cameron Drake (Matt Dillon) on the live Academy Awards telecast three days before Howard's wedding.

Emily (Joan Cusack) and Howard (Kevin Kline) get the surprise of their lives when Howard is outed during the Oscars in the on-target satire "In & Out."

Homosexual hijinks ensue when Howard's whole hamlet of Greenleaf, Ind., gets all hot and bothered after the Oscars - his students gossip; his mother (Debbie Reynolds) is strung out; the media (represented by tabloid newsman Tom Selleck) is swarming, Howard's wrist grows a mind of its own, falling limp at the most inopportune times - only his slimmed-down fiancee (Joan Cusack) who devoted three sexless years of her life to Howard understands. Howard can't be gay, he's getting married in three days, right?

But for Howard, everything isn't that straightforward.

Kline slays as he plays out Howard's extensive range of anti-gay backlash: Convincing his buddies that Streisand doesn't really mean that much to him, only to explode in fury as one guy disses "Yentl"; or showing his fiancee his true flair for man-woman sex, only to be interrupted by the terrifying gaiety of Richard Simmons; or learning to act like a man through inspirational tapes, only to be tricked into dancing wildly and saying how fabulous the window treatments are.

Kline's isn't the only performance directly on target; he's well-supported by Joan Cusack, who gets to go ballistic when her life and sanity begin to unravel; Tom Selleck, who hones his comedic chops further as an ambitious gay journalist; Bob Newhart, who is cast as the sole villain, a prejudiced principal who subjects Howard to the "Would you walk for me?" test; and even model Shalom Harlow, who comes off well as a bulimic supermodel who has some trouble with rotary phones.

But the two best comedic sharpshooters are Debbie Reynolds and Matt Dillon.

The superb Reynolds gets in the movie's funniest line about placecards and heroin and is the centerpiece of a love-in, in which elderly ladies come out of their own respective closets: one didn't really make the Rice Krispie treats, another hated "The Bridges of Madison County," and yet another admits that her husband has a unique problem ... wouldn't want to spoil it for you, though.

Dillon as the clueless Cameron puts on his best Brad Pitt and has the pleasure of being in the singularly funniest scene, a no-holds-barred parody of all those self-important melodramas Oscar tends to love. That means you, "Forrest Gump."

Oscar will probably love "In & Out"'s cast and script this year, or most definitely should, since comedies, let alone ones that are social commentaries masquerading as mainstream romps, are rarely this intelligent, quick and genuinely funny.

Shooting and scoring, "In & Out" is good for a laugh and a few thoughts to ponder, the most obvious of which being "Is he or isn't he?" which stems from the well-publicized and hilariously shot kiss between Kline and Selleck.

Well, after the movie, you'll know that Howard is definitely out and seeing "In & Out" is most definitely in.

Tom Selleck, Shalom Harlow and Matt Dillon are too sexy for themselves.

09-22-97