Kindergarten Cop

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Kindergarten Cop

PG-13

1990

1h 51m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

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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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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Variety Staff

Variety

A mish-mash of violence, psycho-drama and lukewarm kiddie comedy.

Sep 26, 2007

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Kim Voynar

Empire Magazine

With a heart of purest mush, Kindergarten Cop still manages to be generally entertaining.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 26, 2007

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Geoff Andrew

Time Out

If Reitman's film gets closer than most to covering the bases, there remain huge gaps in plausibility and a romantic subplot any ten-year-old could tell you is just plain icky.

Jun 24, 2006

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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

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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

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...an erratically-paced yet mostly enjoyable comedy...

Rated: 3/4

Aug 13, 2022

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Glenn

I thought it was alright, all phases of the movie

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/19/25

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Richard R

If you don't like this movie there is something wrong with you. It should be at 99 percent tomato score. Obviously you have a bunch of apathetic abysmal folks whose favorite movie is The Human Centipede. The kids are funny the woman cop is funny the principal and whereas it may not be perfect ultimately it has a heart and in a heartless spectra of crapola movies I'll rewatch this and Shawshank and regret watching 99.9 percent of everything else. Even tomato darlings

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/31/25

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Shaun R

Enough action and comedy to pass as a decent enough family film.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/29/25

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Rylie B

thanks for the heart attack

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/27/25

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Jamie W

Lighten up critics please , this movie is great watched it a kid still love it as an adult . You lot take things way too serious Yes it’s goofy but that’s what makes it funny arnie the legend

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/24/25

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Patrick C

I bloody adore this film. It is so charming, so lovely, so moving. The premise is somewhat ludicrous but that's half the fun and Arnold handles his role with aplomb. He's wonderful as John Kimble and it's a joy to see the kids in his class warm to him. I'm a sucker for a soppy love story and the ending always gets me.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/28/25

Full Review

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Ivan Reitman

Director

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Detective John Kimble

Penelope Ann Miller

Joyce Palmieri

Pamela Reed

Detective Phoebe O'Hara

Linda Hunt

Miss Schlowski

Richard Tyson

Cullen Crisp, Sr.

Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - Kids on the Plane

1:57

Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - Who Is Your Daddy?

2:00

Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - They're Horrible

1:56

Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - Boys Have a Penis

2:41

Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - Shut Up!

2:36

Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - You Belong to Me!

1:27

Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - It's Not a Tumor!

0:46

Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - Hitting Back

2:38

Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - Saving Dominic

2:59

Kindergarten Cop: Official Clip - The Party Pooper

3:08

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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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