History YMMV / InAndOut

** The fact that being gay means being attracted to someone of the same gender is also never brought up, confusingly

** Given that the screenwriter [[NWordPrivileges is openly gay himself]], this could just be RuleOfFunny.

** Given that the screenwriter is openly gay himself, this could just be RuleOfFunny.

** Also, the idea of gay marriage is never brought up (understandably, since it was made in 1997). However, marriage equality has become more and more widespread as SocietyMarchesOn, so the idea that Howard could still get married someday is not out of the question.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The movie's use of "Macho Man" is quite catchy, during both during the scene where Howard tests his reaction to it and the DancePartyEnding.

* InspirationForTheWork: The film was inspired by Creator/TomHanks' tearful speech when he won the Best Actor Oscar for ''Film/{{Philadelphia}}'' in 1994 in which he credited his high school drama teacher Rawley Farnsworth and a former classmate John Gilkerson as "two of the finest gay Americans, two wonderful men that I had the good fortune to be associated with." Farnsworth was closeted about his sexuality throughout his life right up until that point.

* AccidentalAesop: "It is wrong to fire someone based on their sexual orientation," after the board of education fired Howard after coming out (although they denied the cause as Howard's sexual orientation, it was obvious that was the real reason). The only reason this is an accidental Aesop instead of an intentional one, was this was in the '90s when people still thought it was illegal to terminate employment based on sexuality, although nowadays it's all too painfully obvious this is not the case (in reality, Indiana was and still is one of the 29 states where it is perfectly legal to fire someone for being gay). This also gives the movie a new relevance to issues concerning gay rights in today's society.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Is Hollywood star Cameron Drake really an honest supporter of gay rights, or is he just using gay equality as a platform to increase his own recognition? What really calls this into question was his acceptance speech, where after he thanks his former teacher for inspiring him, he deliberately blurts out "... and he's gay!" When you look at the speech alone the closer is so awkward that it comes off more as a desperate attempt for attention, instead of as giving credit to someone who inspired you.

* CrowningMomentOfFunny:

* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: [[spoiler: When Cameron tells poor, insecure Emily she was BeautifulAllAlong.]]

** It may be closer to HarsherInHindsight than ValuesDissonance, as 20 years later, ''many'' of the stereotypes parodied have yet to fade from public consciousness.

* AccidentalAesop: "It is wrong to fire someone based on their sexual orientation," after the board of education fired Howard after coming out (although they denied the cause as Howard's sexual orientation, it was obvious that was the real reason). The only reason this is an accidental Aesop instead of an intentional one, was this was in the 90's where people still thought it was illegal to terminate employment based on sexuality, although nowadays it's all too painfully obvious this is not the case (in reality, Indiana was and still is one of the 29 states where it is perfectly legal to fire someone for being gay). This also gives the movie a new relevance to issues concerning gay rights in today's society.

* CrowningMomentOfFunny: "Volume One: '[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8YKAp7o53E Get a Grip!]]'."
** "Fuck BarbraStreisand!"

* ValuesDissonance: The film has an unfortunate tendency to reinforce stereotypes about what types of personal traits, interests, tastes, etc. are inherently "gay", even as it mocks its characters' espousal of those same stereotypes.

** It may be closer to HarsherInHindsight than ValuesDissonance, as 15 years later, ''many'' of the stereotypes parodied have yet to fade from public consciousness.

* NeverTrustATrailer: The trailer made this look like a lighthearted comedy of errors in which a [[CampStraight heterosexual man with some stereotypically gay mannerisms]] gets [[MistakenForGay accidentally outed]] at the Oscars by a former student who is now a successful actor, and must spend the rest of the film repairing his reputation when the whole world decides he must be gay just due to the way he walks or his impeccably stylish clothes. Of course, the actual point of the film is that Howard is [[TransparentCloset deeply closeted]] and won't even admit his sexuality to himself until forced to confront it. It also gets pretty serious near the middle when Howard's sexual orientation gets him fired and has the entire town turning against him.

** Given that the screenwriter is openly gay, this could just be RuleOfFunny.

* AccidentalAesop: The fact that it is wrong to fire someone just because of their sexual orientation, after the board of education fired Howard after coming out (although they denied the cause as Howard's sexual orientation, it was obvious that was the real reason). The only reason this is an accidental Aesop instead of an intentional one, was this was in the 90's where people still thought it was illegal to terminate employment based on sexuality, although nowadays it's all too painfully obvious this is not the case (in reality, Indiana was and still is one of the 29 states where it is perfectly legal to fire someone for being gay). This also gives the movie a new relevance to issues concerning gay rights in today's society.

* ValuesDissonance: The film has an unfortunate tendency to reinforce stereotypes about what types of personal traits, interests, tastes, etc. are inherently "gay", even as it mocks its characters' espousal of those same stereotypes.