Un flic à la maternelle

'Kindergarten Cop (1990)' is pretty much exactly what you expect it to be, although its violence is perhaps a bit more graphic than necessary. Who'd have thought Schwarzenegger's greatest challenge would come in the form of a class of unruly kids? Placing such a stone-cold action star in a room full of innocent children is almost a stroke of genius, allowing for several genuinely funny sequences in which our hero tries to wrestle with his new undercover identity. Frankly, it's iconic; there are more than a handful of certifiably classic lines here. The flick is also quite sweet on occasion, allowing its protagonist to show his gentler side while still making him a certifiable bad-ass. It's a really enjoyable experience that does exactly what it needs to. It isn't complex, despite its wrinkles involving broken home lives and cold-blooded criminals, but it's a really fun time from beginning to end. Sometimes, all a film needs to do is make you smile.

A tough cop (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is given his most difficult assignment ever: to masquerade as a kindergarten teacher in order to find a drug dealer.

When this film first came out, it was panned by just about everyone besides Roger Ebert. Looking back 25 years later, Ebert was probably the only one who got it right. While not the greatest comedy, and certainly not a great action film, this movie has a certain charm that resonates beyond the typical demographic for Arnold's films.

The only thing that really ages poorly is the bad guy's hair. But, to be fair, his hair was probably considered atrocious in 1990, too.

Arnie plays a bad ass cop who disguises himself as a kindergarten teacher in order to track down the ex-wife of a drug sleazeball to finally lock him up.

Arnie in a comedy. Well, it worked in Twins so why not do it again? Actually this time around he fares very well, balancing quite nicely his tough guy side (which we all love) and also his comedic side. His interaction with the children are hilarious and somewhat touching at times. Supporting cast do a nice job, particularly Reed as Arnie's partner and Hunt as his kindergarten supervisor.

Many critics found the level of violence to be a little excessive considering it's listed as mainly a comedy, but I don't agree. Sure, there's some violence near the end, but it's relatively toned down. I'd say this is good family fun.

A neat blend of rom-com, cop movie, and feel good story-Arnold Schwarzenegger goes for the trifecta in this classic. This gruff, violent, no-holds-barred cop named John Kimble has to transform his physical image and his personality in order to find the wife of a known drug dealer. His pursuit leads him to a kindergarten class in Astoria, Oregon where the tough and scary gives way to the cute and cuddly.

Not that this could have really happened it still made for a fun and sometimes funny movie. The kids were the real comedy because I've never found Schwarzenegger really funny. The movie ranged from edgy, to funny, to romantic, to cute and it displayed each adequately.

I reckon Arnie would make the best teacher. For starters, he could teach PE, and Austrian, and politics, and awesome, among other things. Schoolyard bullying and vandalism would be a thing of the past, and if any of the students were having domestic troubles at home, Arnie would find out and then BAM! Problem solved, just like in 'Kindergarten Cop'.

Arnie plays John Kimble, a cop who has spent years chasing a criminal by the name of Cullen Crisp. When he finally gets Crisp, he now has to find all the money Crisp that stole. It seems as though Crisp's e-wife took it and fled to a small town with their son, and changed their names in the process. To find them, Arnie must pose as a kindergarten teacher, and hilarity ensues.

'Kindergarten Cop' may not be as heavy on the action as some of Arnie's other movies from the time (80s / early 90s), but on the other hand, it is very funny. It delivers some classic lines from not only Arnie, but also his disciples of awesome (students, whatever you wish to call them). 'Kindergarten Cop' proves that Arnie is family-friendly, as well as awesome. Bravo!

8/10 - Check it out. You should like it, and if you don't, I'm sure Arnie will forgive you.