Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.
... View MoreThis Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.
... View Moreif their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.
... View MoreThis movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.
... View MoreArnold Schwarzenegger hooks up with director Ivan Reitman once again, after their 80's smash hit Twins (1988) first highlighted the giant Austrian's talent for comedy. Like that one, this is a film that is so high-concept that you should be able to work out a large part of the plot just by looking at the poster. The film does one of those things that lots of comedies from the late 80's / early 90's did and that is set up a light-hearted comedy framework and then throw in a crime sub-plot into the mix. To this end we have Arnold playing a disillusioned cop who is trying to hunt down that other staple of the era – the criminal with a sharp suit and power ballad haircut. Arnie travels to a small town in Oregon where he knows that Power Ballad's ex-wife and son live. In order to find them he goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher. Needless to say, this unlikely primary school teacher gets into a series of toddler-related japes, while falling in love with Power Ballad's ex-wife who also works at the school. Before long things turn nasty when Power Ballad turns up and tries to steal his son back leaving Arnie with no alternative but to deal with this pony-tailed, suited-and-booted ponce.This one shouldn't work but it does. Its story is almost charmingly moronic but it gets by on account of a highly likable and often somewhat hilarious performance from Schwarzenegger, who really can play comedy really well. He is ably supported by Pamela Reed who plays his partner who at one stage hilariously pretends to be his sister replete with amusing Austrian accent and Germanic gestures. Then of course there are the little kids themselves who are often very funny and who Arnie works extremely well with and has great chemistry. The result is a movie which transcends its paper thin basic idea and results in a genuinely charming chuckle-fest.
... View MorePeople judge (music, films, other people...) according to very strict, redundant criteria. There are very often way overrated films, films that aren't really special but that do fit the general consensus and criteria, or simply, the 'demand'.But a lot more rare, are the underrated films such as this one. It's mainstream enough, the humor, the acting standard enough. It's got a highly recognizable face and lead character stereotype that America usually adores, a simple enough plot and development with morals, cute children and family values at the center of it... and to be honest, it does a pretty darn good job at what it sets out to do.In a way, it's much better than what it "should've been".And yet, the fan average barely scrapes over the 6/10 mark and the critics are just as snobby towards it but that's to be expected.'Arnie' is charming and unintentionally/intentionally hilarious as ever, the film has simply monumentally cult quotes, it's fast, cute, fun, funny, and of course it's got that bit of hollow flavor towards the end where great movies usually shine most, but it's absolutely tolerable when we're given such a genuinely entertaining ride prior.A well earned 7/10. Certainly underrated.
... View MoreKindergarten Cop (1990) *** (out of 4) Detective Kimble (Arnold Schwarzenegger) goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher because they get word that a drug lord's (Richard Tyson) ex-wife might be living there under a different name. The police need her to testify against her former husband and soon the new teacher begins to think the person might be another teacher (Penelope Ann Miller) that he has fallen for.I watched KINDERGARTEN COP several times when it was originally released and as a ten-year-old I found it to be funny and exciting. Revisiting the film nearly two decades later had my entertainment level drop down some but I still thought it was a pretty good movie, although it's certainly uneven to say the least.I say uneven because if you remember when the film came out then you probably remember the film getting attacked for being marketed towards children even though there are some rather dark moments in the film. It's weird because part of the film is aimed at the kids with Schwarzenegger playing a lovable giant and there are some great and funny moments as him as the teacher. On the other hand, the film also has some rather tense violence as well as some darker subject matters including divorce and child abuse.Director Ivan Reitman does a good job on both parts of the film but at the same time they kind of take away from each other. The darkness means there's not going to be enough laughs and what laughs there are takes away from a pretty good cop movie. Schwarzenegger turns in a good performance as he has no problem playing the tough detective but I also thought he was charming and fun as the teacher. Miller has always been an underrated actress and she too is quite good here. Tyson makes for a great villain and we get nice support from Pamela Reed, Carroll Baker and Cathy Moriarty.KINDERGARTEN COP runs a bit too long and it's certainly way too predictable but if you're a fan of the action star then you can overlook the flaws and just enjoy the picture.
... View MoreWe are used to seeing Arnie in fast-action, violent films with lots of killing and blood, like 'Terminator' and 'Predator' where he hardly says anything apart from "I'll be back!". Therefore it is quite a surprise that here we see him playing a tough cop-turned-Kindergarten-teacher and you may not think that he would be much good in that type role, because i know i certainly did and i started watching it rather skeptically. However, i couldn't have been more wrong. Arnie plays the role amazingly and i couldn't really imagine anyone else playing the giant school teacher. The cast are great, it has a real feel-good vibe to it, and the chemistry between the star and the children is spot on. The story is basically about a tough cop who has to go undercover as a Kindergarten teacher to find the wife and son of an elusive criminal. Then he must persuade he to give evidence to convict her ex-husband and get him 'sent down' for a long long time."Kindergarten Cop" is nothing less than great entertainment. It captures the very essence of the simple, feel-good story, here blended together with a bit of action and an edge that works surprising well against the comedy; nearly as well as the juxtaposition that is "bodybuilder teaches kindergarten." It's great fun, one of the most quotable films of the 1990's, and holds up incredibly well almost a quarter-century after its release.Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
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