Foggy Melson | Kevin Kline Interview on "In & Out" (September 10, 1997) @foggymelson | Uploaded September 2023 | Updated October 2024, 1 day ago.
In & Out is a 1997 American comedy film directed by Frank Oz, written by Paul Rudnick, and starring Kevin Kline, Tom Selleck, Joan Cusack, Matt Dillon, Debbie Reynolds, Bob Newhart, Shalom Harlow, and Wilford Brimley. Cusack was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance, but lost to Kim Basinger in L.A. Confidential.[1]
The film was inspired by Tom Hanks's tearful speech when he accepted his 1994 Oscar (for his role in Philadelphia), in which he mentioned his high-school drama coach Rawley Farnsworth, and his former classmate John Gilkerson, "two of the finest gay Americans, two wonderful men that I had the good fortune to be associated with."[2] The film became one of mainstream Hollywood's few attempts at a comedic "gay movie" of its era, and was widely noted at the time for a 12-second kiss between Kevin Kline and Tom Selleck.
According to Frank Oz, production had to be stopped temporarily because "we all got sick...because we all got the flu."[3] Oz and Wilford Brimley reportedly did not get along during production; however neither of them have ever elaborated on what caused the friction between the two.[4][5]
Selected for its "beautiful auditorium, a great gymnasium" and other aesthetic qualities, the Pompton Lakes High School in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey was used extensively as a filming location for In & Out.[6]
Some filming was done in Northport, New York, located on the north shore of Long Island in Suffolk County.[7]
Soundtrack
In & Out Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by Various Artists / Marc Shaiman
Released September 23, 1997
Genre Soundtrack
Label Motown
At first, Frank Oz asked Miles Goodman to do the music for In & Out. Goodman, who composed several of Oz's previous films, died before he could do so.[3]
A soundtrack was released on Tuesday, September 23, 1997, featuring previously recorded songs as well as Marc Shaiman's instrumental music composed for the film.
In & Out was well received by critics. The performances were widely praised, especially Cusack,[8] who eventually earned an Oscar nod, and Kline.[9] The film also gained attention for depicting homosexuality in a "mainstream" comedy about "Middle America,"[10] which, Rita Kempley Howe wrote in The Washington Post, "manages to simultaneously flaunt and flout gay stereotypes."[11] Critics also noted its generally asexual treatment of homosexuality: Janet Maslin commented in The New York Times that the film is not one "to associate gayness with actual sex,"[8] while TV Guide quipped that it "finally gets discussion about gay people out of the bedroom and into the record store."[12] Despite generally positive reviews, several critics, even those who were complimentary, felt that the ending was weak and did not live up to the rest of the film.[8][9][13]
The film has a 73% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 55 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10; the site's consensus states: "It doesn't always find comfortable ground between broad comedy and social commentary, but lively performances—especially from Kevin Kline and Joan Cusack—enrich In & Out's mixture of laughs and sexual tolerance."[14] On Metacritic the film has a rating of 70 based on reviews from 18 critics.[15]
In & Out is a 1997 American comedy film directed by Frank Oz, written by Paul Rudnick, and starring Kevin Kline, Tom Selleck, Joan Cusack, Matt Dillon, Debbie Reynolds, Bob Newhart, Shalom Harlow, and Wilford Brimley. Cusack was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance, but lost to Kim Basinger in L.A. Confidential.[1]
The film was inspired by Tom Hanks's tearful speech when he accepted his 1994 Oscar (for his role in Philadelphia), in which he mentioned his high-school drama coach Rawley Farnsworth, and his former classmate John Gilkerson, "two of the finest gay Americans, two wonderful men that I had the good fortune to be associated with."[2] The film became one of mainstream Hollywood's few attempts at a comedic "gay movie" of its era, and was widely noted at the time for a 12-second kiss between Kevin Kline and Tom Selleck.
According to Frank Oz, production had to be stopped temporarily because "we all got sick...because we all got the flu."[3] Oz and Wilford Brimley reportedly did not get along during production; however neither of them have ever elaborated on what caused the friction between the two.[4][5]
Selected for its "beautiful auditorium, a great gymnasium" and other aesthetic qualities, the Pompton Lakes High School in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey was used extensively as a filming location for In & Out.[6]
Some filming was done in Northport, New York, located on the north shore of Long Island in Suffolk County.[7]
Soundtrack
In & Out Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by Various Artists / Marc Shaiman
Released September 23, 1997
Genre Soundtrack
Label Motown
At first, Frank Oz asked Miles Goodman to do the music for In & Out. Goodman, who composed several of Oz's previous films, died before he could do so.[3]
A soundtrack was released on Tuesday, September 23, 1997, featuring previously recorded songs as well as Marc Shaiman's instrumental music composed for the film.
In & Out was well received by critics. The performances were widely praised, especially Cusack,[8] who eventually earned an Oscar nod, and Kline.[9] The film also gained attention for depicting homosexuality in a "mainstream" comedy about "Middle America,"[10] which, Rita Kempley Howe wrote in The Washington Post, "manages to simultaneously flaunt and flout gay stereotypes."[11] Critics also noted its generally asexual treatment of homosexuality: Janet Maslin commented in The New York Times that the film is not one "to associate gayness with actual sex,"[8] while TV Guide quipped that it "finally gets discussion about gay people out of the bedroom and into the record store."[12] Despite generally positive reviews, several critics, even those who were complimentary, felt that the ending was weak and did not live up to the rest of the film.[8][9][13]
The film has a 73% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 55 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10; the site's consensus states: "It doesn't always find comfortable ground between broad comedy and social commentary, but lively performances—especially from Kevin Kline and Joan Cusack—enrich In & Out's mixture of laughs and sexual tolerance."[14] On Metacritic the film has a rating of 70 based on reviews from 18 critics.[15]
