Kindergarten Cop#Cast

{{short description|1990 action comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman}}

{{Infobox film

| name = Kindergarten Cop

| image = Kindergarten Cop film.jpg

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = Ivan Reitman

| producer = {{Unbulleted list|Ivan Reitman|Brian Grazer}}

| screenplay = {{Unbulleted list|Murray Salem|Herschel Weingrod|Timothy Harris}}

| story = Murray Salem

| starring = {{plainlist|

| music = Randy Edelman

| cinematography = Michael Chapman

| editing = {{Unbulleted list|Wendy Greene Bricmont|Sheldon Kahn}}

| studio = Imagine Entertainment

| distributor = Universal Pictures

| released = {{Film date|1990|12|21}}

| runtime = 111 minutes{{cite web|url=http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/kindergarten-cop-1970-1|title=Kindergarten Cop (12)|work=British Board of Film Classification|date=25 January 1991|access-date=March 28, 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328121827/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/kindergarten-cop-1970-1 |archive-date=March 28, 2019}}

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget = $26 million{{cite web|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Kindergarten-Cop#tab=summary|title=Kindergarten Cop (1990)|website=The Numbers|access-date=March 28, 2019}}

| gross = $202 million

}}

Kindergarten Cop is a 1990 American action comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and distributed by Universal Pictures. Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as John Kimble, a tough Los Angeles police detective working undercover as a kindergarten teacher to locate the wife and child of drug dealer Cullen Crisp (Richard Tyson), who are living under assumed identities. Pamela Reed, Penelope Ann Miller, and Linda Hunt co-star. The original music score was composed by Randy Edelman. The film marked the second collaboration for Reitman and Schwarzenegger, succeeding Twins (1988).

The film was released in North America on December 21, 1990, and grossed $202 million worldwide. Critical reception was mixed, though Schwarzenegger earned praise for his comedic abilities and willingness to subvert the action-hero image that had defined his career.

Plot

After years of pursuing infamous drug lord Cullen Crisp Sr., LAPD Police Detective John Kimble arrests Crisp for murder, as the call woman Cindy witnessed Crisp gun down an informant in the back of a shopping mall. The man had given him information regarding the whereabouts of his former wife Rachel. Crisp claims that she stole $3 million from him, before fleeing with their son Cullen Crisp Jr, and going into hiding.

Partnered with fellow detective Phoebe O'Hara, Kimble is sent to Astoria, Oregon, to identify Rachel and offer her immunity in exchange for testifying against Crisp in court. O'Hara is tasked with finding Rachel via her son by posing as a newly hired substitute teacher in kindergarten class at Astoria Elementary School. Both colleagues get to know each other — Kimble is divorced and has a 13-year-old son named Alex, with whom he has not had contact in years after his ex-wife remarried; and O'Hara is dating a chef — and become friends. However, she is incapacitated by severe gastroenteritis, so Kimble is forced to step in as the teacher.

School Principal Ingrid Schlowski initially suspects Kimble's ineptitude. Though overwhelmed at first, Kimble adapts to his new status quickly, despite lacking any formal teaching experience. Through the use of his pet ferret as a class mascot, positive reinforcement for good behavior, and his police training as a model for structure in class, Kimble becomes a much admired and cherished figure to the pupils. O'Hara recovers, then poses as Kimble's sister from Austria to assist him in the investigation.

Kimble begins to enjoy his undercover role. At one point, he deals with a case of child abuse by assaulting, threatening, and pressing charges against the abusive father of one of his pupils (Zach), winning over Schlowski. She assures him that despite Kimble's unorthodox methods, she is impressed with his performance and thus does not fire him.

Kimble also becomes fond of Joyce, a fellow teacher whose son Dominic is one of his pupils. Dominic admires Kimble and sees him as a father figure, as his mother is estranged from her husband and will not speak of him. Joyce tells her son that he lives in France and that she left him after seeing his true colors, refusing to elaborate.

Through their conversations, Kimble deduces that Joyce is actually Rachel and that Dominic is Cullen Jr. Meanwhile in California, the case holding Crisp in jail is closed after Cindy dies from using tainted cocaine provided by Crisp's mother and partner-in-crime, Eleanor. With no witness and no other existing evidence, Crisp is subsequently released, and travels to Astoria with Eleanor to search for his son. When Kimble learns of this, he confronts Rachel about her identity, saying he can protect her if she cooperates. She is outraged that he misled her, but she reveals that Crisp lied about the stolen money in order to convince drug dealers to hunt them down.

Crisp arrives at the school and starts a fire in the library as a distraction to kidnap his son, then uses the boy as a hostage when Kimble arrives to capture him. Just as Crisp declares his intentions and prepares to shoot Kimble, the latter's ferret, which was hiding in Dominic's sweater, bites Crisp in the neck, allowing Dominic to escape. In pain, Crisp shoots Kimble in the leg, and in response, Kimble shoots Crisp three times in the chest, killing him instantly.

Outside, Eleanor strikes O'Hara with her car and runs inside the school. She discovers her son's dead body, shoots Kimble in the shoulder and demands he tell her where her grandson is, but at the last second, O'Hara appears and knocks Eleanor unconscious with a baseball bat. Eleanor is then arrested by the police, and the unconscious Kimble is hospitalized (much to the sadness of the children) alongside O'Hara, both of them going on to make a full recovery.

O'Hara returns to the LAPD, while Kimble decides to resign and stay in Astoria, becoming a full-time kindergarten teacher at the school. Joyce joins him and they share a kiss as everyone cheers.

Cast

{{Cast listing|

Arnold Schwarzenegger as LAPD Police Detective John Kimble
Penelope Ann Miller as Joyce Palmieri / Rachel Myatt Crisp
Pamela Reed as LAPD Detective Phoebe O'Hara
Linda Hunt as Miss Ingrid Schlowski
Richard Tyson as Cullen Crisp Sr.
Carroll Baker as Eleanor Crisp
Cathy Moriarty as Jillian, Sylvester's Mother
Christian and Joseph Cousins as Dominic Palmieri / Cullen Crisp Jr.
Park Overall as Samantha's Mother
Jayne Brook as Mrs. Sullivan, Zach's Mother
Betty Lou Henson as Keisha's Mother
Heidi Swedberg as Joshua's Mother
Richard Portnow as Captain Salazar
Alix Koromzay as Cindy
Bob Nelson as Henry Shoop
Angela Bassett as Stewardess

}}

=Kimble's Class=

{{Cast listing|

Justin Page as Zach Sullivan
Peter Rakow as Joshua
Sarah Rose Karr as Emma
Marissa Rosen as Samantha
Ben McCreary as Lowell
Miko Hughes as Joseph
Robert Cave as John
Ben Diskin as Sylvester
Tameka Runnels as Keisha
Medha Garg as Latiana
Brian Wagner as William
John Graas as Kevin
Jimmy Darrin Jackson III as Sedgewinn
Ian Baumer as Sam
Amy Wald as Sarah
Tiffany Mataras as Tina
Krystle Mataras as Rina
James Chance as Matthew
Adam Wylie as Larry
Nicole Nagorsky as Heather
Ross Malinger as Harvey
Amber Reaves as Mary
Odette Yustman as Rosa
Tina Hart as Dorothy
Emily Ann Lloyd as Jennifer
Haley Urman as Courtney
Bethany Allyn as Catherine
Zachary Marsh as Nick
Anthony Wong as Tom
Remone Bradley as Erwin

}}

Production

File:Astoria-Megler.JPG

File:John_Jacob_Astor_Elementary,_Astoria.JPG

=Casting=

Bill Murray and Patrick Swayze were initially approached to play the role of Kimble.{{cite web |last=Evans |first=Bradford |date=17 February 2011 |title=The Lost Roles of Bill Murray |url=http://splitsider.com/2011/02/the-lost-roles-of-bill-murray/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150520115025/http://splitsider.com/2011/02/the-lost-roles-of-bill-murray |archive-date=20 May 2015 |access-date=25 May 2015 |website=Splitsider}}{{cite web |date=21 December 2015 |title=17 Facts About 'Kindergarten Cop' For Its 25th Anniversary |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/72743/17-facts-about-kindergarten-cop-its-25th-anniversary |website=Mental Floss}} Danny DeVito was also considered for the role, but Ivan Reitman nixed the idea as he felt DeVito's height would make him seem less believable as Kimble. Ultimately, DeVito's former costar from Twins, Arnold Schwarzenegger, was chosen for the part.{{cite web |date=15 September 2011 |title=The Lost Roles of Danny DeVito |url=https://www.vulture.com/2011/09/the-lost-roles-of-danny-devito.html |website=Vulture}}

Director Reitman and casting director Michael Chinich auditioned more than 2,000 children for the roles of the pupils.{{cite news | first=Susan | last=King | title=Ivan Reitman, 'Kindergarten Cop's' Top Sergeant | work=Los Angeles Times | url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-12-21-ca-7037-story.html | access-date=December 2, 2010 | date=December 21, 1990 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425210549/http://articles.latimes.com/1990-12-21/entertainment/ca-7037_1_kindergarten-cop | archive-date=25 April 2016}} Elijah Wood unsuccessfully auditioned for a role.{{cite podcast |url=https://play.acast.com/s/mydadwroteaporno/footnotes-elijah-wood |title=Footnotes: Elijah Wood |website=My Dad Wrote a Porno |publisher=Acast |date=July 6, 2016 |access-date=August 19, 2021}}

=Filming=

Exterior scenes at Astoria Elementary School were filmed at John Jacob Astor Elementary School, located at 3550 Franklin Avenue in Astoria, Oregon.

Universal Studios hired local artists Judith Niland and Carl Lyle Jenkins to paint murals on the walls at Astoria, and provided new playground equipment, a fenced playground, and a new lawn and hedges around the school. Most of the filming was completed after school was out in June 1990,{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xcJWAAAAIBAJ&pg=2850,6322748 |newspaper=Eugene Register-Guard |agency=Associated Press |title=Schwarzenegger film scenes set in Astoria |date=May 25, 1990 |page=13D}} allowing many of the pupils and faculty to be extras in the film.{{cite journal|url=https://people.com/archive/an-oregon-principal-is-the-real-kindergarten-cop-she-wont-take-her-kids-to-the-film-they-appear-in-vol-35-no-2/|journal=People |title=An Oregon principal is the real Kindergarten Cop |date=January 21, 1991 |volume=35 |number=2 |access-date=July 6, 2013}} Pupils' artwork was also used.{{Cite web |title=Story Notes for Kindergarten Cop |url=http://www.amc.com/talk/2012/04/story-notes-trivia-kindergarten-cop |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150512051927/http://www.amc.com/talk/2012/04/story-notes-trivia-kindergarten-cop |archive-date=May 12, 2015 |access-date=August 2, 2022 |website=AMC Networks}} While on location, Schwarzenegger insisted a private studio for daily workouts and weightlifting be assembled for his use.

Other locations used in or near Astoria include the Bayview Motel, Commercial Street in downtown Astoria,{{Cite web |title=Filming Locations of Kindergarten Cop |url=https://www.movieloci.com/4143-Kindergarten-Cop |access-date=August 2, 2022 |website=MovieLoci.com}} and exteriors outside the Seafare Restaurant on Industry Street. The school picnic was filmed at Ecola State Park near Cannon Beach, Oregon, {{convert|25|mi|km}} south of Astoria. Scenes at Joyce and Dominic's house were filmed at a private residence located at 414 Exchange Street and highway scenes were filmed on U.S. Route 26 east of Seaside, Oregon, {{convert|20|mi|km}} from Astoria.{{Cite web |title=Kindergarten Cop (1990) Filming Locations |url=http://www.themoviedistrict.com/kindergarten-cop/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106080332/http://www.themoviedistrict.com/kindergarten-cop/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=January 6, 2019 |access-date=August 2, 2022 |website=The Movie District |language=en-US}}

Interior school scenes were shot at Universal Studios in Hollywood.{{Cite web |title=Kindergarten Cop (1990) |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/58569 |access-date=August 6, 2022 |website=AFI Catalog of Feature Films}} The film's opening scene was filmed at the Westfield MainPlace Mall in Santa Ana, California, and South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, California.{{Cite web |date=January 1994 |title=Angles Salon |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6hIEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA38 |access-date=August 2, 2022 |website=Orange Coast |page=38}}

Music

{{Infobox album

| name = Kindergarten Cop: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

| type = Film score

| longtype = (Digital download / Audio CD)

| artist = Randy Edelman

| cover =

| caption =

| alt =

| released = August 31, 1993

| recorded =

| venue =

| studio =

| genre =

| length =

| label = Varese Sarabande

| producer =

| prev_title =

| prev_year =

| next_title =

| next_year =

}}

{{Track listing

| total_length = 34:48

| title1 = Astoria School Theme

| length1 = 1:06

| title2 = Children's Montage

| length2 = 3:21

| title3 = Love Theme (Joyce)

| length3 = 2:30

| title4 = Stalking Crisp

| length4 = 3:40

| title5 = Dominic's Theme/A Rough Day

| length5 = 1:54

| title6 = The Line Up/Fireside Chat

| length6 = 2:57

| title7 = Rain Ride

| length7 = 1:55

| title8 = The Kindergarten Cop

| length8 = 1:27

| title9 = Poor Cindy/Gettysburg Address

| length9 = 2:06

| title10 = A Dinner Invitation

| length10 = 0:47

| title11 = Love Theme Reprise

| length11 = 1:25

| title12 = A Magic Place

| length12 = 2:54

| title13 = Kimble Reveals the Truth

| length13 = 1:45

| title14 = The Tower/Everything Is OK

| length14 = 2:29

| title15 = Fire at the School

| length15 = 5:38

| title16 = Closing

| length16 = 2:14

}}

Reception

=Box office=

Kindergarten Cop was the second-highest grossing film, behind Home Alone, during the week of January 8, 1991.{{cite news|title= WEEKEND BOX OFFICE : Moviegoers Go for the Laughs |work=Los Angeles Times|url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-01-08-ca-7898-story.html|access-date=January 11, 2011|first=Pat H.|last=Broeske|date=January 8, 1991}} It grossed $91.4 million in North America and $101.5 million internationally.{{cite web |title=Kindergarten Cop |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Kindergarten-Cop#tab=summary |access-date=September 27, 2024 |website=The Numbers}} It was released in the United Kingdom on February 1, 1991, and topped the country's box office that weekend.{{cite web|url=http://www.25thframe.co.uk/charts/chart.php?chart=19910201|title=Weekend box office 1st February 1991 - 3rd February 1991 |publisher=www.25thframe.co.uk|access-date=30 December 2016}}

=Critical response=

On Rotten Tomatoes, Kindergarten Cop has a rating of 54% based on 39 reviews and an average rating of 5.60/10. The site's consensus reads, "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."{{cite news|title= Kindergarten Cop|publisher= Flixster | work = Rotten Tomatoes |url= http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kindergarten_cop/}} On Metacritic, it has a score of 61 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.{{cite web| url= http://www.metacritic.com/movie/kindergarten-cop | title=Kindergarten Cop| publisher= CBS | work = Metacritic| access-date=October 30, 2011}} Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave it an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.{{cite web |url=https://m.cinemascore.com |title=CinemaScore |work=cinemascore.com}} Reviewer Caryn James of The New York Times said, "Like Twins, which was also directed by Ivan Reitman, nothing in the film is as funny as the idea of it."{{cite web | last = James | first = Caryn | date = December 21, 1990 | url= https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C0CE4DB163FF932A15751C1A966958260 | title=Kindergarten Cop (1990)|work=The New York Times| access-date=October 30, 2011}}

In Kim Newman's review for Empire, he wrote, "With a heart of purest mush, the film still manages to be generally entertaining" and gave it 3 stars out of 5.{{Cite web |last=Newman |first=Kim |title=Kindergarten Cop Review |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/kindergarten-cop-review/ |access-date=October 30, 2011 |website=Empire|date=January 2000 }} An Entertainment Weekly review at the time of release notes that: "the movie never quite gels and it is not going to generate quite the mega hit business their producers are counting on", giving it a "C" grade.{{Cite web |last=Gleiberman |first=Owen |date=December 21, 1990 |title=Kindergarten Cop |url=https://ew.com/article/1990/12/21/kindergarten-cop/ |access-date=October 30, 2011 |website=Entertainment Weekly}}

Roger Ebert said the film "is made up of two parts that shouldn't fit, but somehow they do, making a slick entertainment out of the improbable, the impossible and Arnold Schwarzenegger" and awarded it three stars.

{{cite news

|last = Ebert

|first= Roger

| date = December 21, 1990

| url = https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/kindergarten-cop-1990

| title = Kindergarten Cop (PG-13)

| website = www.rogerebert.com

| access-date = March 30, 2018

}}

On April Fools' Day 2012, as a prank, the film was announced to be selected for a release on DVD and Blu-ray Disc as part of The Criterion Collection, a video distribution company dedicated to the release of "important classic and contemporary films". It was said to be selected as important, in part because of its genre revisionist use of both the policier and family comedy genres in the same film.

{{cite web

| last = Davis

| first = Edward

| title = Yesterday's Best April Fool's Day Joke: Criterion's Upcoming Release Of 'Kindergarten Cop'

| url = http://www.indiewire.com/2012/04/yesterdays-best-april-fools-day-joke-criterions-upcoming-release-of-kindergarten-cop-111907/

| publisher = Penske Business Media, LLC

| website = IndieWire

| date = April 2, 2012

| access-date = March 30, 2018

}} It was released on Blu-ray, though not by Criterion, on July 1, 2014.{{Cite web |title=Kindergarten Cop Blu-ray |url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Kindergarten-Cop-Blu-ray/26159/ |access-date=August 6, 2022 |website=blu-ray.com}} Kino Lorber released the film on 4K UHD on January 23, 2024.[https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Kindergarten-Cop-4K-Blu-ray/331768/ Kindergarten Cop 4K Blu-ray]. Blu-Ray.com. Retrieved 21 March 2025.

=Legacy=

For the video game Silent Hill, parts of Astoria Elementary School from the film were used as reference for the location Midwich Elementary School.{{Cite web|url=https://www.vgfacts.com/trivia/1949/|title=Silent Hill|publisher=VGFacts|access-date=2017-12-10}} Several of Schwarzenegger's memorable lines from the film were used in sound boards for prank phone calls that became popular in the early 2000s.{{cite news|title=Meghan McCain's Blogette|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/meghan-mccains-blogette/|access-date=13 January 2018|publisher=CBSNews.com|date=27 March 2008}} During an April 2021 interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Schwarzenegger stated that the idea behind the making of Superhero Kindergarten came from his desire "to do a sequel to Kindergarten Cop".{{cite web |url=https://movieweb.com/superhero-kindergarten-cop-2-wish-stan-lee-schwarzenegger/ |title=How Stan Lee Made Arnold Schwarzenegger's 'Kindergarten Cop 2' Wish Come True |website=MovieWeb |last=Chand |first=Neeraj |date=May 1, 2021 |access-date=May 15, 2021}}

A 1996 Filipino action comedy movie Ang Titser Kong Pogi (lit. "My Handsome Teacher") is a remake of Kindergarten Cop, starring Bong Revilla in a title role.

Sequel

A standalone sequel starring Dolph Lundgren, Kindergarten Cop 2, was released direct to DVD in May 2016.{{cite web|last1=Menjivar|first1=J. Carlos|title=Kindergarten Cop 2 (2016)|url=http://www.popzara.com/movies/blu-ray-dvd-reviews/kindergarten-cop-2-2016/|website=Popzara|date=20 May 2016|publisher=Pippo Publishing, LLC|access-date=13 January 2018}}