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Kindergarten Cop

PG-13 Released Dec 21, 1990 1h 51m Comedy List
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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Audience Member The plot of this movie is genius and Arnold Schwarzenegger plays the role of Mr. Kimble so effectively. It’s a really funny movie that has some touching moments. Not to mention the score in this movie is also great Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/15/24 Full Review Nicholas W If you’re expecting an Adam Sandler styled comedy with lots of screaming, you will be slightly disappointed. But the movie is like an Adam Sandler film, but without all the annoying energy of the aforementioned movies. But it has two tones, a goofy comedy, and a detective thriller. The thriller stuff is affective, but in my opinion it feels out of place and frankly, a bit too real and something that could actually happen, which I don’t want to think of during a movie. The characters are pretty one dimensional, the only one who I really like and care about is Mr. Kimble (played by the chad Arnold Shawarzeneggar). The kindergarteners are funny though, the movie is charming, but the movie switches from a funny light hearted comedy to a dark thriller that is too intense for the audience it’s intended for. There is also lots of subplots that don’t serve a point. But underneath all of this is a decent film, the kindergarten stuff is charming and occasionally funny, Kimbles bond with the kids is wholesome, and the thriller elements are affective and makes you questions if the characters will make it out alive. This movie is worth being watched once, maybe don’t show this to the younger kids though. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/09/24 Full Review Thomas R Could’ve been worse than what it is Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/02/24 Full Review Jeffrey L It was an entertaining movie. Arnold as always was great in his role as tough guy, but showed in this movie he can do comedy also. And in 2024 I would suggest that many watch this to help you figure out what a girl is Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/19/24 Full Review Jonathan O Kindergarten Cop is really the best action comedy of the 90's, Schwarzenegger did really great doing action comedy and really amazing children actors including one child actor who's already is a voice actor did really performance. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/08/24 Full Review David W Maybe not for younger kids but as an adult I found its mix of mild action and romantic comedy to be hugely enjoyable. Arnie gives an excellent performance playing largely against type and demonstrates some nice comedy timing. Enjoyed it on its release and having recently rewatched this it's aged very well. The score on RT seems remarkably low for what is a very good movie. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/12/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Kindergarten Cop

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Cast & Crew

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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