Kevin Kline is Howard Brackett, popular high school teacher in a small community. He is about to marry his sweetheart after a 3-year celibate engagement. She is played by Joan Cusack, and her name is Emily Montgomery, another teacher. The big news around town concerns the Oscars because one of their own, and Howard's former student Cameron Drake (Matt Dillon) is up for best actor, in a movie where plays a gay soldier being kicked out after bravely saving his fellow soldier during battle.
So, with everyone in town watching, Cameron thanks everyone after he wins, and finally thanks his teacher, Mr Brackett, and says, "And he is gay." Of course Brackett has never thought about being gay, and he is about to marry his girl. So the rest of the movie is about whether or not he really is gay, how the other teachers and students react to this possibility, and whether he really gets married.
SPOILERS FOLLOW. In town is national reporter Peter Malloy (Tom Selleck) who decides to make a film of Brackett's situation. During an encounter out of town when Malloy almost runs over biking Brackett, Malloy admits that he himself is gay, then gives Brackett a long kiss on the lips. In spite of his later protestations, he appears to enjoy it. Bottom line, at his wedding, ready to say "I do", instead he says "I am gay." The movie ends with a graduation ceremony at school, where Brackett has just been fired because they were afraid of his influence on the kids. Cameron Drake shows up, and one by one, every student and parent in the audience stands up and says "I am gay." Point being, they supported Brackett as a teacher and said his gayness should not be considered.
Debbie Reynolds was good as Brackett's mother Berniece Brackett and Wilford Brimley was good as his dad Frank Brackett. Also Bob Newhart was good as Tom Halliwell, the school principal.
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