Arnold Schwarzenegger, Penelope Ann Miller, Pamela Reed, Linda Hunt, Richard Tyson, Carroll Baker, Cathy Moriarty, Joseph Cousins, Christian Cousins,...
Los Angeles narcotics detective John Kimble has long been after drug kingpin Cullen Crisp, who is a psychopath. After John arrests Cullen for a young man's murder, John is told that Cullen's ex-wife Rachel -- whose testimony could be a key to putting Cullen away -- is living in Astoria, Oregon, and that she has a son. John and his partner Phoebe O'Hara are sent to Astoria to find Rachel. Phoebe, a former school teacher, is assigned to go undercover as a kindergarten teacher at Astoria Elementary School, where Rachel's son is believed to be one of the students. The problem for John and Phoebe is the fact that they don't know what Rachel and her son look like. When Phoebe becomes sick before the undercover assignment is to begin, John must take her place, despite the initial misgivings of Principal Schlowski, who eventually befriends John. On his first day, John meets first grade teacher Joyce Palmeri, whose son Dominic is one of John's students. As John spends months on this assignment, he bonds with his students and introduces them to his pet ferret. The town's single mothers find themselves falling for John. One of the students, Zach Sullivan, is a victim of physical abuse at the hands of his violent tempered father, who also physically abuses Zach's mother. John tries to convince Mrs. Sullivan to leave Mr. Sullivan and press charges, but Mrs. Sullivan is too scared to do that. One afternoon, as Zach is leaving school for the day, John finds a severe welt on Zach's back. John goes outside, hits Mr. Sullivan, and says that he has no choice but to press charges against Mr. Sullivan. Schlowski calls John into her office and asks John how good it felt to hit Mr. Sullivan, because Schlowski herself had always felt like hitting Mr. Sullivan. John soon discovers that Joyce's real name is Rachel Crisp -- Cullen's ex-wife. And now, Cullen and his cold-blooded mother Eleanor Crisp have arrived in Astoria, and they are looking for Rachel -- and Dominic, the son that Cullen hasn't seen in three years. And it's up to John to protect Rachel and Dominic.
AMAZON.COM REVIEWS FOR KINDERGARTEN COP (1990): This winning 1990 comedy stars Arnold Schwarzenegger in aninitially self-deprecating role as a grizzled, big-city cop who goesundercover as a small-town kindergarten teacher to nab a killer. Oneof the best films of director Ivan Reitman (Dave), this comedy(with some thriller elements) went a long way to further soften andbroaden Schwarzenegger's image after Reitman worked with him in thegentle Twins. ButKindergarten Cop is genuinely touching, the story of a hard manwho visibly finds his true passion and soul by leaving behind the rotof urban crime. Penelope Ann Miller is a delight as the love interest,Pamela Reed is wonderful as Arnold's cop partner, old pro CarrollBaker is quite nasty as the villain's evil mother, and LindaHunt--whose diminutive stature makes for quite a contrast withSchwarzenegger when they share scenes--is entertaining as a toughprincipal. Upon its release, some people assumed the title meant thisis a good movie for little kids, but it isn't. The DVD releasefeatures production notes, biographies, highlights, theatricaltrailer, Dolby sound, full-screen presentation, and optional Frenchand Spanish soundtracks. --Tom Keogh Kindergarten Cop (dvd):
Amazon.com video review:Arnold Schwarzenegger made a successful transition to comedywith this 1990 box-office hit directed by Ivan Reitman. Arnold playsan undercover cop whose attempt to locate a little boy and his motherleads him to a small-town kindergarten class, where he poses as ateacher while continuing his investigation. He's also trying to catcha vicious drug dealer (Richard Tyson), whose ex-wife and son are thepair that Arnold's trying to rescue from impending danger. The scenesfeaturing Arnold and a classroom full of kindergartners are a realhoot, and Pamela Reed offers enjoyable support as Schwarzenegger'spolice partner, while Penelope Ann Miller (as another teacher)provides a low-key romantic interest and Carroll Baker steals herscenes as the villain's domineering mother. These familiar elementscombine to make this a surprisingly lively and entertainingcomedy-thriller, but parents are advised to heed the PG-13 rating:there are a lot of funny kids in the movie, but it's still a policethriller, with a violent climax that's not suitable for youngviewers. --Jeff Shannon
AWARDS FOR KINDERGARTEN COP (1990):
- BMI Film & TV Awards
1992
Won
BMI Film Music Award
Randy Edelman
- Young Artist Awards
1991
Won
Young Artist Award
Best Young Actor Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Joseph Cousins
Christian Cousins
Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture
Joseph Cousins
Christian Cousins
Justin Page
Peter Rakow
Sarah Rose Karr
Miko Hughes
Marissa Rosen
Ben Diskin
Tameka Runnels
Emily Ann Lloyd
Tina Hart (and class)
Nominated
Young Artist Award
Most Entertaining Family Youth Motion Picture - Comedy/Action
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