KEVIN KUNE (left) and Tom Selleck star in “In & Out
covering one’s sexuality.
Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures
a Frank Oz comedy that adds humor to the problem of dis
Comedy shines In & Out
By Gerry Beltz
Film, Critic
A little bit goes a long way in “In
& Out.”
Director Frank Oz bounces back
from the incredibly average “The
Indian In The Cupboard,” and scores
another hit to add to previous suc
cesses such as “Dirty Rotten
Scoundrels” and “What About
Bob?”
One of Oz’s gifts for success is
tapping the right talent for the right
job, and placing Kevin Kline in the
role of a small-town English and
drama teacher is the big, red bow on
a wonderful overall film.
Although the subject of homo
sexuality isn’t one that is often fol
lowed by fits.of uncontrollable
laughter, Oz helps the film slip
through the choking grasp of reality
by making virtually every character
a caricature of itself.
Howard Brackett (Kline) finds
his life turning upside down and
inside out when a former student
(Matt Dillon) makes the announce
ment during his Oscar-acceptance
speech that Howard is gay.
This comes as a complete sur
prise to everyone in town - including
Howard, who is getting married in
just a few days.
That’s just the beginning of
Howard’s roller-coaster ride - a
bloodthirsty journalist (Tom
Movie Review
Selleck) is after Howard and “the
truth,” Howard’s students begin to
notice “things” about his everyday
behavior and eventually even
Howard begins to doubt himself,
partially because he and his bride
to-be, Elizabeth (Joan Cusack), have
never been physically intimate dur
ing their three-year engagement.
The entire movie isn’t all laughs
and guffaws, of course. Howard’s
employment comes into question,
and several misconceptions about
homosexuality are brought out dur
ing the film.
Although too comedic to make
any serious political statements, “In
& Out” is a film with a very firmly
based opinion. It manages to drive
the point home gently and even lets
the stupid humans learn a thing or
two before the movie is finished.
Kline is absolutely fabulous,
whether he’s playing an introspec
tive thinker or cutting a rug to “I Will
Survive,” and he more than makes
up for appearing in the lethally bor
ing “Fierce Creatures.”
Cusack is also a blast as
Howard’s uptight fiancee, who does
n’t know who or what to believe.
Between “In & Out” and “Grosse
Pointe Blank,” Cusack has once
again proven she is one of
Hollywood’s most underrated per
The Facts
Title: “In and Out”
Stars: Kevin Kline, Joan Cusack, Tom
Selleck, Matt Dillon
Director: Frank Oz
Rating: PG-13 (language, adult situation)
Grade: B+
Five Words: How a surprise affects reality.
formers, and should be tapped more
often.
Selleck actually gives one of the
best performances of the movie
underplaying the scoop-hungry
reporter Peter. His take on tabloid
type reporters, actually sidesteps the
norm and adds a dimension to the
exchanges between Howard and
him.
As with several Oz films, the
movie does have a few unexpected
twists and turns, so make sure you
pee and get your popcorn before “In
& Out” begins.
Overall, “In & Out” is a wonder
ful gem of a flick: great perfor
mances, good script (though the pac
ing was a bit off) and a gentle blend
of drama and side-splitting laughter.
(Critic’s note: At the beginning,
while the Best Actor nominees are
being read, pay attention to the
movie title associated with the actor
in question. That in itself is a riot.)
Check out “In & Out.”
Legendary female icons meet
face to face in western opera
By Liza Holtmeier
Senior Reporter
Calamity Jane and Annie
Oakley star side by side in an
opera this weekend.
Heartland Opera Theater, the
professional touring ensemble of
Opera Omaha, opens its season
with “Opera Goes West” at the
Omaha Children’s Museum
Saturday.
Jane Hill, Opera Omaha’s
executive director, and Hal
France, artistic director and prin
cipal conductor, created the pro
duction hoping to expand knowl
edge of the history of Nebraska
and westward expansion.
The show features the charac
ters Ms. Patti, Calamity Jane,
Horace Tabor and Annie Oakley,
together on a magical train, the
“Way Back Engine.” The train
transports them from the 19th
century to current-day Omaha.
The group attempts to make
the best of the situation with pop
ular Old West and modern song.
Nebraska’s history plays a signif
icant role in the production, and
characters refer to Chief Sitting
Bull, the railroads and Buffalo
Bill’s Wild West Show.
Friendships between the charac
ters soon form, but the train
forces them to return to the Old
West.
“There’s a really neat scene
with Annie Oakley and Calamity
Jane,” said Liesl Jeffrey, market
ing coordinator. “It’s the whole
‘Anything You Can Do, I Can Do
Better,’ and shows what would
have happened if these two leg
ends had met.”
In addition to its focus on his
tory, the opera focuses on the role
of the arts in westward expansion.
“When settlers moved their
families west in the 1880s, they
also brought their culture and
a
There s a really
neat scene with
Annie Oakley and
Calamity Jane.”
Liesl Jeffrey
marketing coordinator
arts, including opera,” France
said. “Singers such as Adelina
Patti toured the country, perform
ing at opera houses such as
Boyd’s Opera House in Omaha.”
The opera will feature
Heartland Opera Theater Soprano
Anne DeVries as opera legend
Adelina Patti. She will perform
popular opera songs from the
1880s,with_a medley of arias,
opera medleys for solo voices and
instrumental accompaniment.
“Opera Goes West” starts at 11
a.m. Saturday and is free with
museum admission.
Sunday,
Sept. 21 @ 1 pm
NU vs. Arkansas
at Abbott Sports Complex
(located 11/2 miles north of
Comhusker Hwy. on 70 th Street)
huskerwGhtcast. com
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THt WORLD'S MOST POPULAR MUSICAL
