Synopsis

A respected English teacher in a small Indiana town is preparing to marry his longtime fiancee when a former student unexpectedly identifies him as gay during an Academy Awards acceptance speech. As the news spreads, his family, colleagues, students, and neighbors pressure him to explain himself. The sudden public scrutiny forces him to reconsider his identity, his engagement, and the expectations surrounding him.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film was inspired by Tom Hanks' 1994 Academy Awards acceptance speech for Philadelphia, in which he thanked a gay high school drama teacher and former classmate.

• Producer Scott Rudin brought the premise to screenwriter Paul Rudnick, who turned the real-life inspiration into a fictional small-town comedy.

• The Oscar statuette used in the film belonged to Kevin Kline, who had won the award for A Fish Called Wanda in 1989.

• The high school scenes were filmed at Pompton Lakes High School in New Jersey. The school district superintendent reportedly failed to sign the waiver permitting the school's name to appear in the credits.

• The production prepared a cover of "Macho Man" by the Boogie Knights when the Village People had not yet approved use of the original recording. The original was ultimately cleared, so the cover was not used.

• Joan Cusack received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the 70th Academy Awards for her performance in the film.

• The movie's wedding-reception dance sequence continues into the end credits, allowing the cast to improvise and joke around on camera.

• In & Out was among the 500 films nominated for the American Film Institute's 2000 list of the funniest American movies.