My Movie Review on Kindergarten Cop (Plus, a Bonus) · 10:28pm May 23rd, 2022
Yo, what's up, Kemosabes?
This is your friendly film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.
Today, I'm gonna give you guys my take of "Kindergarten Cop".
Here's the rundown of it:
John Kimble is an LAPD detective who's been on the trail of an infamous drug dealer named Cullen Crisp. After finally apprehending Crisp, John discovers that he was apparently looking for his former wife, Rachel, who stole millions of dollars from him and took their son with her.
Accompanied by Detective Phoebe O'Hara, John travels to Astoria, Oregon to find Rachel by going undercover as a kindergarten teacher at the town's elementary school. However, John will soon find that the only thing more dangerous than a cutthroat...is a room full of innocent but incredibly rambunctious kindergarteners.
Will Kimble succeed in getting the kids to behave while he looks for Rachel and her son? Or will he go down in flames with glitter and glue all over him?
This movie wasn't something I intended on reviewing long before or anything like that. But, ever since I found out that legendary filmmaker Ivan Reitman passed away, which was on the day the news of his death came out, I decided to review one of his movies as a dedication to him.
As you can see, "Kindergarten Cop" was the movie I chose for the occasion, and not just because of how popular it is among audiences. It was the one movie directed by Reitman that I was able to watch on streaming for free at the time, and I was more familiar with "Kindergarten Cop" since I already saw the film what must've been years ago.
Coming from a guy who saw the film again after all these years, I'd like to say that the one nitpick I noted was the amount of cussing it contained. It's obviously common knowledge by now that cussing makes me cringe, but still...this movie would've been so much better if they at least cut back on the profanity. Then again, it's hard to deny that this was a fairly common element in movies directed by Reitman, so it shouldn't come as a surprise to most.
Other than that, though...in my opinion, "Kindergarten Cop" is undeniably one of the most wholesome movies I've ever watched!
For instance, the direction by Ivan Reitman, the story by Murray Salem, and the screenplay by Salem, Herschel Weingrod, and Timothy Harris, were marvelously well-done.
Among the many things I couldn't help but note were its themes on divorce and family estrangement. At times, the film addressed the negative sides of divorce, which is that it causes a child to be alienated from a parent if they hardly ever see the mother or father at all. But, it also depicted some of the benefits involved in divorce, which is that it's necessary if the husband or wife is being cruel or neglectful to the child or spouse.
The overall humor throughout the story was fun as well. I mean, the beginning of the film may give the impression that it's not exactly comedic; once John and Phoebe leave on their mission, though, the humor kicks in with entertaining effect. Plus, the film contained emotion and drama that was strong enough to tug at the soul, and the mystery and thrill aspect of the story gave it an unpredictable edge.
The acting, characters, and character development were wonderful too.
When it came to singling out which character developed the most, John Kimble was definitely the one who grew in more ways than one. His situations and stress revolving around handling the kindergarteners were deeply relatable, and as he adapted to being a teacher he developed into someone who was far from just a big and tough dude. Arnold Schwarzenegger was awesome in the role of Kimble, and I can hardly picture anyone else who could make the character so remarkable human and complex.
The rest of the cast members and characters were marvelous, if I may add.
Each of the supporting performers played their parts with Oscar-worthy results, and their characters all had dynamic personality and development. Examples that I'd like to point out come from Penelope Ann Miller as Joyce Palmieri, who portrayed her part with a warmth and emotion that made her instantly lovable; Linda Hunt as Principal Schlowski, who stole the show in all the scenes she was featured in; Pamela Reed as Phoebe O'Hara, who demonstrated excellent range and really spiced things up; and Richard Tyson as Cullen Crisp, who managed to capture portraying his character as someone who's psychologically disturbed. Each of the characters I mentioned also had dynamic development.
In the end, "Kindergarten Cop" may not be 100% perfect, but it's still a very enjoyable movie. Everything about it was incredibly-inspired, and the people involved were clearly quite passionate for it.
So I rate "Kindergarten Cop" 4½ out of 5 stars.
Rest In Peace, Ivan Reitman (October 27, 1946-February 12, 2022)
Regardless of whether you had a flawless filmmaking record or not, you were truly a legend in the entertainment industry. Thank you, for sharing your creativity and imagination with the world.
Before I conclude this post, I'd like to share with you guys this new and original painting I made a while back:
So, what do you guys think? Of this review? And my painting?
painting wise, great job!!!!
Movie wise, I was never that interested. Too much body references.
I can't remember if I saw the movie or not, but I like the painting you did