One of my favourite things to do is revisit films that I used to watch over and over as a child, to see if they have the same appeal when watched in adulthood. Needless to say, when I had the chance to watch Kindergarten Cop (1990, dir. Ivan Reitman) the other day, I was filled with a sense of childlike joy. Did the film live up to my memories of it from the 90s? The film’s synopsis is as follows:
John Kimble is a tough city cop who’s been on the trail of drug dealer Cullen Crisp for years. He finally tracks Crisp down but it seems the only person that can testify against him is his ex-wife. The problem is she’s disappeared and all Kimble knows is the name of the school in Oregon where her son attends. When things don’t quite go to plan, Kimble finds he has to go undercover on his toughest assignment yet – Kindergarten teacher! (source)
Here is a selection of my thoughts on Kindergarten Cop.
- It’s not a tumour!
- This is probably one of my favourite Arnold Schwarzenegger roles of all time. Seriously. His performance in this is a riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a hard-boiled policeman wrapped in a kindergarten teacher. And his comic timing isn’t too bad.
- But upon rewatch, I was confronted with two main thoughts.
- Firstly, I can’t believe my mother allowed me to watch this as a child. We even had it on VHS. There’s heaps of violence, references to drug use, and ‘adult themes’ such as domestic violence.
- Secondly, who is even the audience for this? It’s a mix of gritty crime drama plus slapstick-y jokes plus romantic comedy, combining the above mentioned darker themes. At times, it’s a confusing viewing experience.
- But you can’t go past Schwarzenegger, who really goes commit to his role as the very Austrian John Kimble, with the least Austrian sounding name in the entire universe.
- There is also absolutely nothing better than the cheesy 90s sitcom score by Randy Edelman. If you think the score sounds like that of the 90s canine classic Beethoven (1992), then you’d be right, since Edelman scored that film as well.
- Ultimately, Kindergarten Cop is probably one of those films you can put on for a laugh and just enjoy without thinking too hard. Just shut your brain off and enjoy the funny jokes and moments of genuine suspense, and have a laugh at this impossibly huge Austrian man attempting to control an army of four year olds.
3.5/5
Watch the trailer here.
FILM GRIMOIRE 
I am not an Arnie fan but this film is a lot of fun and it is so quotable.
It’s not a tumour!
I think it’s a great idea to watch films from your childhood to see how you feel about them now. I remember ‘light bulb’ moments when I watched Grease as an adult and understood all the sexual references haha.
It’s pretty funny that this film has messed-up genres and confusing about who it is aimed towards! Loved this post Anna! 🙂
Thanks heaps Emma! 🙂 I’ll never forget finally watching Grease as an adult and actually understanding all the sexual references that went totally over my head as a child, kind of disturbing really!
I remember my folks being OK I watch this too. I guess they were not worried about content like a lot of people are now. Then again I was watching Robocop and Die Hard when I was 10. I never found it disturbing and if you showed kids this today Im sure they would be ok. Yeah Arnold did have good comic timing in this
Yeah, with the amount of GTA V most kids play nowadays, I’m sure they’d find this one very tame in comparison!
Your comment that you can’t believe your mom let you watch this is the same thought I have basically every time I re-watch a childhood favorite haha. This one is definitely on the list!
Oh yeah, I can’t believe my mum let me watch this one, and also Speed, which is surprisingly more violent than I remembered! The 90s was a good time.
Sadly I STILL quote the hell out of this movie.
But the quotes are so great!
Yay! Kindergarten Cop was th Password!!
Congrats!
I’ve nominated you for a Liebster Award! Here is a link to the award:
https://bradscribe.wordpress.com/2016/06/16/questions-nominations-look-its-liebster-awards-time-again/
I know I know u’ve had plenty of these already, but how else can I THANK YOU for such an amazing blog?
Please Note: This is a GENUINE act, and not some lameass attempt to wrangle me way onto your esteemed June Favourites 2016 Post
Cheers!
Haha! Thanks heaps Brad! 😀 Made my day!
“Boys have a…..” nevermind, lmao. I agree what you said. That is very true when you mentioned the violence. I was 7 when this movie came out, so my generation push the threshold of modern standards. Mortal Kombat, Beavis and Butthead, Rap music ( hahhahaha) but you are right too about the demographic of Kindergarten cop. Who was it marketed for? And I love what you said about watching movies from your childhood as an adult
Nice movie !
It sure is! 🙂