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Kindergarten Cop

Play trailer Poster for Kindergarten Cop PG-13 Released Dec 21, 1990 1h 51m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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54% Tomatometer 39 Reviews 52% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
In this action-comedy, unusual circumstances find big, brawny cop John Kimble (Arnold Schwarzenegger) posing as a kindergarten teacher in order to apprehend major drug lord Cullen Crisp (Richard Tyson), as well as his ruthless accomplice and mother, Eleanor (Carroll Baker). While pretending to be a kid-friendly instructor, Kimble falls for pretty fellow teacher Joyce Palmieri (Penelope Ann Miller) as he battles both unruly children and dangerous bad guys.
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Kindergarten Cop

Kindergarten Cop

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Critics Consensus

Arnold Schwarzenegger substitutes his action brio with some refreshingly adept comedic timing, but Kindergarten Cop is too grim for children and too cloying for adults.

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Critics Reviews

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Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly Rated: C Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Variety Staff Variety A mish-mash of violence, psycho-drama and lukewarm kiddie comedy. Sep 26, 2007 Full Review Kim Voynar Empire Magazine With a heart of purest mush, Kindergarten Cop still manages to be generally entertaining. Rated: 3/5 Sep 26, 2007 Full Review Allison Rose FlickDirect Kindergarten Cop was one of Schwarzenegger's more diverse roles to date, showcasing the actor's talent in more than just action sequences. Rated: 4/5 Feb 5, 2024 Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) The film, rather insubstantial that it almost doesn't exist, distracted me for an hour and a half. [Full review in Spanish] Dec 1, 2022 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...an erratically-paced yet mostly enjoyable comedy... Rated: 3/4 Aug 13, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jude G Nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/12/25 Full Review Taiga B I went into this movie expecting a kids movie, but ended up with a funny and very enjoyable Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. I liked how the action was limited and that there was more dramatic and comedic scenes. The kids are brilliant in this movie, not being too cheesy and really having some great moments. There were some great feel good moments and uplifting moments that were due to the great chemistry of the cast. This shows how Arnold was more then capable of transitioning from action to comedy first with "Twins" and now with this film in the late 80's to early 90's. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 07/07/25 Full Review Stephen C Funny in 1 hour and 51 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $88,600,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/20/25 Full Review Jonny K Absolute Schwarzenegger masterpiece. A must watch. It's very funny with a clever twist of action and mystery. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/18/25 Full Review Melissa M Kindergarten cop is the kind of movie you would think that would be a BF. Big Flop. Instead it's NB Not Bad. This movie proves that Arnold Schwarzenegger has a comedic side. It's so different than his usual Terminator type roles. It's definitely an action comedy. The beginning there's a lot of action. Some parts of the movie are probably not suitable for kids under the age of 12. But as the movie progresses there are moments of hilarity. Like when detective John Kimble meets the kindergarten kids for the first time. There are some family friendly moments. The part where John brings his pet ferret to class. There's enough action scenes & LOL moments to keep the most finicky moviegoer in their seats. Don't want to give away any spoiler alerts but John Kimble & his partner aren't the only heroes in the film. They get a Little help from a furry friend. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/16/25 Full Review Paige M Perfect movie with a happy ending! Perfect for kids, too! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/09/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Kindergarten Cop

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Kindergarten Cop

Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - Kids on the Plane Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - Kids on the Plane 1:57 Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - Who Is Your Daddy? Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - Who Is Your Daddy? 2:00 Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - They're Horrible Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - They're Horrible 1:56 Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - Boys Have a Penis Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - Boys Have a Penis 2:41 Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - Shut Up! Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - Shut Up! 2:36 Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - You Belong to Me! Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - You Belong to Me! 1:27 Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - It's Not a Tumor! Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - It's Not a Tumor! 0:46 Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - Hitting Back Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - Hitting Back 2:38 Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - Saving Dominic Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - Saving Dominic 2:59 Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - The Party Pooper Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - The Party Pooper 3:08 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis In this action-comedy, unusual circumstances find big, brawny cop John Kimble (Arnold Schwarzenegger) posing as a kindergarten teacher in order to apprehend major drug lord Cullen Crisp (Richard Tyson), as well as his ruthless accomplice and mother, Eleanor (Carroll Baker). While pretending to be a kid-friendly instructor, Kimble falls for pretty fellow teacher Joyce Palmieri (Penelope Ann Miller) as he battles both unruly children and dangerous bad guys.
Director
Ivan Reitman
Producer
Ivan Reitman, Brian Grazer
Screenwriter
Murray Salem, Herschel Weingrod, Timothy Hyde Harris
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Production Co
Universal Pictures
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 21, 1990, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 15, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$88.6M
Runtime
1h 51m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby SR
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