Excellent but underrated film

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I watched this film because I wanted something light and not too much demanding. The plot is pretty easy: an emerging actor wins the Oscar and during his acceptance speech he simply says thank to his school teacher, labeling him as gay. The problem is that the teacher is going to get married and his wife-to-be doesn't take it well. It's a shock. The teacher tries to prove he is not gay at all.As I said, the plot is very simple, there are some funny situations, but as a whole this film isn't a masterpiece. For sure the great part of the film is sustained by Kevin Kline who does a remarkable and believable job.Despite it's only an average comedy, it worth to be watched at least one time.

I saw this film many times in my youth, and at one point actually liked it...until I realized how truly saturated it is with disreputable ideas and tactics.The story revolves around Howard Brackett, a happily-engaged schoolteacher living in the small town of Greenleaf, Indiana. His parents support him, his friends like him, and so do some of his students.But that all changes when former student Cameron Drake, who's since become a famous movie star, dedicates his win at an Oscar ceremony to Howard...labeling him gay in the process. This turns Howard's world upside down, as the local gossips assume Drake's claim must be true. Howard doesn't know what to do, and his attempts to handle the situation fail miserably. This is probably one of the most prominent areas of the film, where the propaganda's on full display...prior to the climax (more on that later).Howard's whole method of presenting himself is mocked by various people; some criticize his choice of clothing, while others condemn his affection for the films of Barbra Streisand. Another method of "research" involves him trying to resist dancing to the song "I Will Survive", an audio recording previously insisting "truly manly men do not dance, for any reason." When Howard gives in, the recording asks, "How did you do...pussy boy?" An openly-gay reporter (played by Tom Selleck, of all people) kisses Howard at a street intersection, supposedly attempting to force some kind of "truth" on the teacher. Howard's so freaked out by this, his only objection is it happened at the intersection. Desperate for answers and less chaos, he goes to a priest...who recommends he have sex with his fiancée before the wedding. No, I'm not making it up - that's in the film. He attempts to do so, only to be reassured by his bride-to-be...then breaks her heart at the ceremony by submitting to the pressure and declaring himself gay.It all culminates when Howard is nominated for Teacher of the Year at his school, but the administration bars him due to fear of a potential scandal. Suddenly, Cameron Drake arrives in the auditorium, asking the staff members if all the chaos is about "the gay thing". Their manner of refusal is clearly depicted with intentional mockery, of anyone who would oppose homosexuality for any reason. To drive the film's whole point home (namely, that "gay is okay" and all who disagree are stupid and/or hateful), Howard's present-day students all declare themselves gay; one even says "If there's something wrong with Mr. Brackett, there's something wrong with me." Howard's own parents soon join in this mocking form of "support", along with the town's fire brigade. The final scene has Howard dancing to the Village People song "Macho Man", while his former fiancée cozes up to Drake.The only reason I gave this film more than one star, is because there's some very brief moments which actually made me laugh. The biggest one is probably a scene between Howard's fiancée and the reporter who kissed him. Its the night of the crashed wedding, and in desperation she propositions him. Informing her he's gay sends her crashing out the door of the bar they're in, to which she screams into the night, "IS EVERYBODY GAY?!" That question could very well have been the film's title; it certainly fits the overall premise.

Another of my girlfriend's DVDs I watched with her, just to placate her. The premise is that Kevin Kline plays a popular high school teacher in a very small backwards town in Indiana. He is all prepared to be married to Joan Cusack when someone (it's not important who) broadcasts on national television that the teacher is gay. Now, Kline has to try and "prove" he is heterosexual, but perhaps he may just be in denial of his homosexuality.It's pretty hard to believe this story takes place in 1997 when everyone in this Mayberry town behaves as though it's 1957. This is only a standard level comedy, though it's not too unbearable at only around ninety minutes. Kevin Kline is well cast for this part, but the best moments come from the hysterical antics of Joan Cusack (who it may be argued has never been very attractive, and yet I found her quite appealing in this film). Bob Newhart is okay as the bigoted high school principal. Tom Selleck seemed out of place to me as a gay news reporter who mentors Kline. Oh, and there is a grand, vomit-inducing, sappy happy ending at the end, which just seems phony. ** out of ****

What a waste of time this movie is. The acting was good, but so what? It had me grimacing at most of the unfunny dialogue and stereotypical characters. According to this movie, any man who likes Barbara Striesand movies is gay, and they brought this up three times or more, I mean, sheesh, it wasn't funny the first time, why repeat the "joke"?The whole movie just seemed like some cut and paste scenario we've seen it so many times before, town gets outraged about the main character for whatever reason, then, oh, surprise surprise, they all come round and stand by him in the end, he's a really great guy, we all love him, so what if he's gay, blah blah blah blah blah.... So corny, so boring.