Kindergarten Cop

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Penelope Ann Miller, Pamela Reed, Linda Hunt, Richard Tyson, Carroll Baker, Angela Bassett, Jason Reitman, Miko Hughes
Directed by: Ivan Reitman
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Comedy
1990

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: A cop (Arnold Schwarzenegger) goes undercover as a Kindergarten teacher to catch a dangerous criminal (Richard Tyson) determined to kidnap his son from his estranged wife (Penelope Ann Miller).

Review:

Tim: I'm not ashamed to admit that I really, really like Kindergarten Cop. It represents a nice change of pace for our Austrian friend. I also love the idea of someone pitching this movie- Arnold Schwarzenegger teaches kindergarten! Hey man, that's a great idea- sign me up. Schwarzenegger still gets to play the tough guy cop, but it's great fun seeing him interact with kindergarteners. Like I said, I'm an unabashed fan of this movie.

Now, there is a plot that somewhat makes sense- Schwarzenegger and his partner are going to stake out a kindergarten classroom to find the son of a deranged criminal bent on abducting him to reunite his family. That part of the movie is mildly interesting, but it's certainly not the main focus. It just serves to set up the real meat of the film. What's most enjoyable is obviously seeing an actor who's made a living by being the toughest bad ass around thrown into unfamiliar territory of five and six year olds. The movie does a great job of portraying both sides- the screaming, unruly, funny, challenging children, as well as what it's like for a tough-as-nails cop with no education background to be thrust into this environment. There's a big kindergarten class, but we do get to know several of the kids- the son of the gynecologist (that joke was repeated twice, which didn't really sit well with me), the kid obsessed with death, the adorable girl who finds it hard to express herself, the teacher's son, etc. The movie balanced this well and I felt like we got to know these kids a little bit. That was appreciated and made the movie more enjoyable.

Schwarzenegger himself is very good- he has a number of scenes where he's able to do his typical tough guy act, but the scenes with the kids were obviously the highlights. He was able to show his softer side. Schwarzenegger is a funny guy, and I always love when he's able to embrace that side of himself. I thought he did a thoroughly good job in this role. He was the best part of the film for me. I've always like Penelope Ann Miller and thought she was fine here. She is believable as a teacher. Pamela Reed was surprisingly good as Schwarzenegger's partner. She steals more than a few scenes. Linda Hunt was enjoyable as the school's principal. I thought Richard Tyson overacted nearly every moment of his screen time. He made a good lunatic, but it was impossible to believe his performance.

The film is a little odd, because the beginning and the end are typical Schwarzenegger action scenes. The film's bookmarked by these somewhat violent, cop-focused scenes. The whole middle is more of the comedy, pitting Schwarzenegger against the kids. I don't know any other way they could have pulled this off, but it's a little odd, having the film follow an action-comedy-action track. It just gives the film a bit of a disjointed feel. The middle is definitely the most enjoyable. I thought it was exceptionally well done how Schwarzenegger is at first overwhelmed and then grows more comfortable and effective in his role as a kindergarten teacher. Director Ivan Reitman did a great job with those scenes.

So, in the end, I am a big fan of Kindergarten Cop. The movie might not be perfect, but it's funny, enjoyable, and entertaining. I like when Schwarzenegger shows different sides to himself and this was a great role for him.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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