terrible below par not bad good brilliantwarning minor spoilershomosexuality these day be hardly the taboo subject it be over forty year ago . however it must be say that perhaps more so in america than say and over here in the u. k. it can still be a touchy subject . just look at the whole debacle of gay in the millitary some year ago in the u . it with in and out that writer paul rudnick tap in to the small town mentality of middle america and the way the press in the u ( as well a in the uk ) make such a big deal in out a celebrity . you need only look at when will young and stephen gately of boyzone come out of the closet . the movie centre on howard brackett ( kevin kline ) and a high school english teacher in his home town . the local people be prepare themselves for oscar night a one of the nominee cameron drake ( matt dillon ) come from their town and be a former pupil of howard . cameron and who play a gay soldier in a vietnam epic win the award only to out howard a be gay during his acceptance speech . this could not come at a bad time for howard who be just day away from marry his fiance and fellow school teacher emily ( joan cusack ) . a you would expect the medium reaction be cataclysmic and turn howard life upside down . not only do he try to convince his family and friend that he be not gay but evade sleazy news reporter and peter malloy ( tom selleck ) . although this be bill a a screwball comedy it clear that rudnick and director frank oz be also attempt to be satirical . you only have to look at the early scene at the oscar cerimonee and the way the people of bracketts home town as well a the teach board of the school react to his out . sadly the film doesn not live up to the promise we see early on in the movie . this be a pretty flat attempt to make social commentary out of a wacky comedy . a good cast be sadly waste on a script that never really deliver the nessecary amount of laugh and be no where near as insightful a it think it . kline give u the same kind of endear performance that he give u in his early comedy dave and make howard an instantly likeable character . cusack too be good value a howard weight obsess fiance while tom selleck play very well against type a a gay news reporter . bob newhart be a joy also and a the principal of the high school where howard work . it great to see him on the big screen for a change . it a shame that it have to be this . the performance as good a they be can do little to rescue the movie from be a rather dull affair . while a couple of scene do offer some amusement . namely the inspired scene where howard attempt to make himself seem more manly by listen to a self help tape . there be little to enjoy and and when thing can not seem to get any bad rudnick resort to a sicken finale that lurch in to over the top sentiment . i also couldn not help but feel that my intelligence be be insult . malloy appear to be too sleazy a character to become the man who put his ethic before get a good story while cammeron finally come to the rescue in the film climax seem at first to be too self involve a character to care a jot about what happen to his former teacher . after all it he who cause all the trouble in the first place . in and out isn not exactly dire . but when you consider the like of kline well work like a fish call wanda you can not help but feel that here be a great talent be sadly waste . robs rating represent .