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In & Out starring Kevin Kline, Joan Cusack, Tom Selleck and Matt Dillon

Posted on September 3, 2010 Written by ripitup

In & Out starring Kevin Kline, Tom Selleck, Matt Dillon and Joan Cusack. Hilarious! Image via moviegoods.com

Howard Brackett (Kevin Kline) is a high school literature teacher and the team coach and he is loved by everyone in the Indiana town he lives and he is just very content with his life.

Everything changes when Cameron Drake (Matt Dillon) – a former student/currently Hollywood’s new heartthrob- wins Oscar with his role as a gay soldier and thanks Howard at his acceptance speech, mentioning that Howard is gay.

This shocks the whole town, especially Emily, Howard’s parents, students and most of all Howard. From then on, the movie becomes more hilarious as Howard tries to explain to everyone that he is not gay. But the media have already smelled a good story and they are all over town. The most insistent reporter of them all is Peter Malloy (Tom Selleck) who thinks he is actually helping Howard come out.

Now Howard has to face the most important question of his life: Was Cameron right? And if he is, how the hell is he going to tell everyone that he is gay, after having tried so hard to persuade them that he wasn’t?

***

In and Out is one hell of a comedy. Now, if your favorite comedy about a gay guy is Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor’s I love you, Philip Morris, then there is a chance you won’t like In & Out. But I absolutely hated I love you Philip Morris (even though I love Jim Carrey) but In & Out is one of my favorite movies. It is charming, silly, upbeat, lovely and downright hilarious. Yes, there are stereotypes. But the thing with clichés and stereotypes is that if you use them well, you will have good entertainment. After all, they became stereotypes and clichés for a reason.

I heard people complain that the movie isn’t funny because Howard is actually gay. Now, don’t consider this a spoiler. Knowing this will straighten up your expectations about the movie. Now, the fact that Howard is gay but doesn’t know it makes the movie even funnier. The fact that people didn’t notice or pretended not to notice is just hilarious. After all, here is a guy who hasn’t had sex with his fiancée for 3 years because he “respects her” (I mean, come on!!), he knows everything about Barbara Streisand and adores her and well, do look at his hands.

While Streisand is an ultimate cliché, it is a funny one. However I think the casting overcomes one big cliché as many gay guys being feminine when the reporter turns out to be gay. Guys, the reporter is Tom Selleck! You just can’t get more masculine than that! Frankly, none of my straight guy friends is as masculine as Selleck’s Peter.

The supporting cast includes Shawn Hatosy, Alexandra Holden, Zak Orth, Lauren Ambrose (as Howard’s students), Debbie Reynolds, Wilford Brimley (as Howard’s parents) and Shalom Harlow (as Cameron’s skinny girlfriend).

Kevin Kline is just a riot. Yes, the whole cast is great but he does make the movie. At 6.1 on IMDB, this truly is one of the most underrated comedies ever. Frankly, it might be a 7.0 compared to all movies ever made but for a comedy, it is a 10/10.

Favorite Lines

Howard’s mom (Debbie Reynolds): Howard, we want you to know that you are our son and we will always love you. Gay, straight, red, green if you rob a bank, if you kill someone.
Howard’s dad (Wilford Brimley): If you get drunk, climb a clock tower, and take out the town.

Howard’s mom: As long as you get married.

***

Peter (Tom Selleck): I am gay. I came out.

Howard (Kevin Kline): To whom?

Peter: Whom? To Everyone. My folks, my boss, my dog… One day I just snapped. I got tired of switching pronouns and remembering to lower my voice. And I couldn’t take it..lying to the people I love…Does that sound familiar?

Howard (in the thickest voice he can muster): No!

Peter: So I just said, mom, dad, sparky…I am gay.

Howard: What happened?

Peter: Well, my mom cried for exactly 10 seconds, my boss said who cares and my dad said “but you are so tall!!)

***

Howard: I am not gay!

Peter: What was Barbra Streisand’s eighth album?
Howard: Color Me Barbra.
Peter: Stud!
Howard: Everybody knows that!
Peter: Everybody where? The little gay bar on the prairie? You know what you need?

Howard: I need a weddin (before Howard can finish, Peter grabs him and kisses him)

You kissed me.

Peter: You noticed.

Howard: This is not Los Angeles!

Peter: People don’t kiss in Greenleaf?

Howard: Not at an intersection!!

Favorite Scenes:

– The Oscars – Cameron’s outing Howard and everyone’s reactions…

-Howard, the masculinity tape and the dancing.

Other Posts on Kevin Kline

The Big Chill

French Kiss

The Fun Actors and Moustache Poll: feat. Kevin Kline

The Big Chill starring Kevin Kline, Glenn Close and William Hurt

Posted on August 24, 2010 Written by ripitup

The Big Chill starring Glenn Close, Kevin Kline, William Hurt, Jobeth Williams, Mary Kay Place, Tom Berenger, Meg Tilly, Jeff Goldblum. Image: s11.allstarpics.net

Harold, Sarah, Sam, Nick, Michael, Meg, Karen are old college friends who haven’t been able to keep in contact as they planned, apart from Harold (Kevin Kline) and Sarah (Glenn Close)- who married each other and started a family together.

These old friends reunite at a funeral- the other member of the old gang, Alex, has committed suicide. After the funeral, they spend the weekend at Harold and Sarah’s place and try to get over Alex’s death, times and identities lost and catch up.

Now their friendships are as “complicated” as the ones in Grey’s Anatomy or Dawson’s Creek– here’s what I mean:

– Nick (William Hurt) and Karen used to be an item but Karen (Jobeth Williams) and Sam (Tom Berenger) always had an eye for each other.

– Meg (Mary Kay Place) has a little history with Michael (Jeff Goldblum), who is busy chasing Chloe (Meg Tilly)- Alex’s young girlfriend who’s staying at the house as well. Chloe isn’t interested in Michael but she seems to be into Nick (William Hurt).

– Nick is Meg’s first choice as a sperm donor. Oh yes, it is the 80s, she is the modern working woman who is sick of dating and wants a kid from a friend. But of course Nick can’t help since he can’t function down there, a gift from Vietnam. And Sam already had a broken marriage and a daughter he barely sees so he may not exactly jump at the offer and Karen doesn’t love the idea either as she seems to want Sam for herself. Sam is into Karen too, but Karen has a husband and two kids.

– Oh and then there is Sarah, who seems more shaken up by Alex’s death. As Harold reveals to us, she had an affair with him but she and Harold got over it…

So here we have a 8 people with complicated friendships and pasts, a weekend fuelled with conflicted emotions, drugs, alcohol, fun, nostalgia, sadness, broken dreams, love and confrontations.

The movie is one of the earliest works for the most of the cast, most of who are considered to be the finest actors of Hollywood. It is worth noting that Glenn Close was nominated for Best Supporting Actress Oscar and the movie also was also nominated for Best Film and Best Screenplay. The movie was written by Lawrence Kasdan and Barbara Benedek and directed by Lawrence Kasdan.

The movie has its flaws and charms, just like the characters. There are things in the movie that almost every one can related to: How you can lose contact with your best friends when life gets in the way or how your life may not turn out the way you hoped it would. And I am guessing the actors’ generation will identify with the story even more.

However the characters- despite the identity issues- didn’t really feel real to me. And no matter how charming the actors are, the characters are just…off. I mean, if your best friend kills himself, would your immediate reaction would be to have a baby with one of his other friends and start making the baby right after the funeral? Not to mention their soap-opera type of histories. And what kind of prick hits on his recently dead friend’s girlfriend, who almost seems jovial at all times? And would you really be that upset if your best who killed himself was banging your wife behind your back? And then there is the lecturing attitude Harold gives Nick when a cop brings him over- about being a part of the community, respecting the cops and whatever while they were all high half the movie?

The verdict: I am not going to lie to you, I had fun watching this movie. It was nostalgic and I love the soundtrack. I like the actors and the director. Despite the reunion happens because of a suicide, the movie is more fun than emotional and sad. There are some great funny lines and scenes and it is hardly ever boring. But had the cast been different, I doubt I’d have watched it.

Overall, this is a decently-acted and entertaining film with nostalgic value. But it is well…fluff. A pretty and quality fluff. You will have fun watching it but if you don’t watch it, you won’t have missed out on a thing.

7.0 on IMDB. A 6 from me.

Fun facts About The Big Chill:

– Do you remember the last movie you saw with Tom Berenger? It is probably Inception where he plays the uncle to Cillian Murphy’s character. Out of all the cast members of The Big Chill, he is the one who bears no resemblance to his younger self.

– The little son of Harold and Sarah that appears in the beginning of the film is the real life son of director Lawrence Kasdan. His name is Jon Kasdan.

– Meg Tilly is an ex-girlfriend of Colin Firth and they have a son together.

– Lawrence Kasdan and Kevin Kline work together often. They also made French Kiss and Silverado together.0000

French Kiss starring Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline

Posted on August 17, 2010 Written by ripitup

French Kiss starring Meg Ryan, Kevin Kline, Timothy Hutton, Jean Reno and Susan Anbeh. Image:farm4.static.flickr.com

American Kate (Meg Ryan) is living in Canada with her fiancé Charlie (Timothy Hutton). And as far as she is concerned, life is bliss: she is closer to Charlie’s parents than Charlie is, is about to be a Canadian citizen and she is finally able to afford the house of their dreams. Even though Charlie is a bit freaked, he seems happy and content enough…until he goes to Paris for a work event. Kate needs to stay in the country because of the immigration process and she is afraid to death of flying anyway…

However, one day she gets a phone call from Charlie that changes her life forever. He tells her that he has fallen in love with a French woman and is not coming back. Kate gets on the next plane. She just has to go to France and take Charlie back. She ends up sitting next to a French guy named Luc (Kevin Kline), who just provides a distraction for her to survive the flight. However, Luc really needs to get an item through the customs and uses Kate for it, without her knowing of course.

But it is not long before Luc loses Kate, Kate’s bags are stolen, the French police are after Luc- who is after Kate who tries to survive in Paris until she can persuade Charlie to come back…Of course many funny scenes, confusion and romantic feelings follow. Can Kate take Charlie back with Luc’s help? Or will she even want Charlie after spending all that time with Luc?

French Kiss is a really entertaining, funny and romantic film, mostly set in France. It co-stars Jean Reno as the friendly cop who owes Luc a favor and Charlie’s French goddess Juliette is played by Suzan Anbeh, an actress half-French and half-Iranian.

Admittedly, I hadn’t loved this film so much when I saw it years ago. But back then, I hadn’t been to France, met French guys, listened to many French accents, wasn’t a fan of the cast except Meg Ryan. But years later, after having done all that, and having followed the work of Timothy Hutton, Kevin Kline and Jean Reno, and well, having experience the French culture many times, I just had a blast with. I believe French Kiss to be a guy-friendly romcom. Yeah sure, you can make all the usual complaints: “I knew the ending from the get-go” (yeah, so did everybody else),” it was predictable”,” would have been more original if Luc ended up with Juliette….” . So? This might be a typical romantic comedy with some fun criminal aspects involved, but it doesn’t change the fact that it is spot on with so many jokes and it is just an overall charming and entertaining movie. Oh yes, Kate is pretty much the same gal Meg Ryan always plays but some actors do have a trademark: Sylvester has been cashing on all these years: Meg Ryan is the romcom princess and he uses the muscles. They don’t really make movies to shatter the earth, they make money and entertain by using money-making clichés.

Now, it is also fun to note that this is not the only movie where Timothy Hutton’s character wants to leave Meg Ryan’s for another woman- in 2009’s Serious Moonlight, he wants to leave their long-term marriage but suffers a totally unexpected faith. This is also not the only romcom where Meg Ryan goes by the name of Kate. She played Kate in Kate and Leopold, opposite Hugh Jackman.

You have got the clichés and the stereotypes but you also have a hilarious performance from Kevin Kline, Timothy Hutton as your scumbag, Jean Reno for an inspector and a lovely, natural Meg Ryan. And this is pretty much all I wanted from this 1995 “chick flick”, which happens to be written by a guy (Adam Brooks) and directed by another guy (Lawrence Kasdan). Just enjoy yourself. 6.1 on IMDB, 7/10 from me.