In & Out (1997) 4K UHD

[Moviefan2k4]

I haven't seen this from start to finish in quite some time, so I don't know if I'll buy the 4K disc or not. I could very easily delve into Dennis Miller territory with my thoughts here though, and a few years ago I did exactly that with a long venting post on IMDB. But in an effort to be more succint, I'll just address my favorite parts from the on-site review...

Originally Posted by Jeffrey Kauffman

Now all of the following is merely hypothetical and meant to explore an admittedly "alternate version" of the film, but what if it had turned out that Howard wasn't gay? In other words, was it somehow a "requirement" that Howard had to be gay in order for Rudnick's spot on commentary on misperception and "being true to yourself" to resonate? In other other words, would In & Out have been materially different had Howard been revealed to be actually straight, if perhaps slightly divergent from "normative" gender behaviors? And could it have possibly have been even more affecting and perhaps less trifling feeling at times had something along those lines been followed, since it might have allowed even more insight into how people are often judged unfairly or even victimized in a way by being pigeonholed in some category or the other?

This is a very good observation, because for years I saw the film as a purposeful mockery of those who disagreed with the subject matter for any reason. A number of scenes illustrate this, such as Howard's exasperated response to Peter kissing him, Father Tim's advice for Howard to have premarital sex with Emily, his failure regarding the "manly men" audio test, and of course the finale where Howard's parents, students, and even the whole fire brigade imply that homosexuality must be both innate and socially acceptable (throwing in the related implication that folks with opposing views are inherently wrong human beings).

Originally Posted by Jeffrey Kauffman

The world may not have been ready for it at the time, but I frankly think In & Out would have been even more provocative and potentially even funnier if Howard had turned out to be a misunderstood straight guy.

I agree, because it would've shown that appearances do not always indicate the truth of a situation. I'm fairly effeminate myself, often gesturing when I speak and emotionally relating more easily to women in particular. But that doesn't automatically mean I'm gay, and the film tries to do exactly that with Howard as a character. From the moment of that fateful TV broadcast, he's always being closely examined for what he wears, his body posture, whether he wants to dance, etc. And at the film's end, instead of being brave in the face of adversity, he gives into the pressure and breaks Emily's heart by declaring himself gay. Her immediate reaction was rightfully freaking out, bringing up the fact he'd had her watch Barabra Streisand's movie Funny Lady multiple times. In the stress of the moment, his only defense was saying "it was a sequel, she was under contract", which only escalates Emily's anger. And what should happen, when the credits finally start to roll? Howard is dancing to the Village People song "Macho Man", while Emily snuggles up to Cameron Drake...the same man who played the crucial role in wrecking her future with Howard.