Howard Brackett (Kevin Kline) teaches high school English at a small town in Indiana. Since he is neat, nattily attired, single, and has a penchant for Barbra Streisand movies, some people tend to think he might be...you know, that way. But in this naive little midwestern burg, it seems that no one has ever openly suggested it. Not until local boy made famous Cameron Drake (Matt Dillon in a wicked parody of Brad Pitt) wins an Oscar for playing a gay soldier and dedicates his award to his former teacher, adding in a postscript, "and he's gay." This comes as a complete surprise to everyone, especially to Howard's parents (Debbie Reynolds and Wilford Brimley), his students, his fiancee (Joan Cusack), and Howard himself.
Predictably, the media descends on this story and makes Howard's life a living hell, as nody believes that he is straight. He quickly becomes a nervous wreck, helped not at all by smarmy entertainment reporter Peter Malloy (Tom Selleck), himself recently outed, who sees Howard's story as his own meal ticket for the duration.
The film's funniest scenes involve Howard trying to rid himself of swishy mannerisms: straighten himself out, as it were. Since he sincerely believes himself to be straight, there's just a question of learning to dress sloppily, learning to "adjust himself" ("not up there", the "manliness" tape tells Howard as he fixes his hair), and above all, learning not to dance.
Eventually, in a sort of deus ex machina situation, Cameron returns to his hometown to set things aright, which finally happens after a graduation and a pair of wedding ceremonies (I dare not reveal the impossible-to-predict ending).
Now, if a Utahn were to ask me if this film were offensive, I could say, only if you believe that gays are inherently evil. In which case, I would also advise that person to expand his horizons just a tad. Actually, I believe if the film is offensive for anyone, it might be to gay men for perpetuating swishy stereotypes, though not so badly as The Birdcage did.
Speaking of gay stereotypes, the biggest suspension of disbelief required for this film is that nobody had ever suggested to Howard that he might be gay. Come on! I live in a pretty insular community, and I've had people ask me that (since I'm single, well-groomed, and love opera...and by the way, I'm not gay, not that you care).
But all in all, an intensely funny movie, wonderfully cast. Kevin Kline proves once again that he is America's finest comic actor. Joan Cusack is a scream as Howard's long-suffering fiancee. By virtue of being quite possibly the only truly sane character, she seems to be the craziest of all. Bob Newhart gets only limited screen time as the school's principal, but uses those spare minutes to maximum effect. His standard persona fits the film perfectly well: it is a mystery why he is so seldomly cast in films. The remaining cast is on nearly as high a level, with practically every role given at least one moment to shine. Don't blink or you might miss Dan Hedaya's priceless few seconds.
The screenplay by Paul Rudnick is very good, if too reliant on the Spartacus-style climax ("I am Spartacus" "No, I am Spartacus", etc). Please continue writing films, Mr. Rudnick. Frank Oz has gone from being a puppeteer of puppets to, as a director, a puppeteer of human beings. If nothing else, he certainly inspired his cast into giving nearly ideal comic performances.
Was this a truly enjoyable movie? Yes. I swear by my Sondheim records.
Three-and-a-half stars
Copyright 1998 by Dale G. Abersold