Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the most conscious actors in the world who has cultivated his image. From his heady days as a several-times Mr. Universe Bodybuilding champion, chronicled in the documentary PUMPING IRON, directed by George Butler, he has always had a sense of where he is going.
After John Milius’ big-screen adaptation of the Robert E. Howard book CONAN THE BARBARIAN, Schwarzenegger decided to branch out, firstly with James Cameron’s THE TERMINATOR, but in 1988 he teamed with Ivan Reitman for the first of several comedies in the form of TWINS with Danny De Vito.
Two years later, he teamed up again with Reitman, who directed the original 1984 version of GHOSTBUSTERS, for the high-concept comedy KINDERGARTEN COP.
He plays tough cop John Kimble, on the trail of a killer, Crisp (Richard Tyson) , whose wife and son have vanished with $3m to Astoria, Oregon. Assigned a partner (Pamela Reed), they head up there to the school where the son is enrolled, with the intent that the partner, who has teaching experience, will take the job as the substitute teacher.
Unfortunately, the night before, she suffers a bout of food poisoning, forcing Kimble to take over the job. Pretty soon, he discovers that looking after little kids is as hard as dealing with drug dealers….
A wonderful vehicle for Schwarzenegger, with great crossover appeal for families and children alike (the violence in the full version might be a turn off, but various TV versions have toned it down, focusing on the fun of the kids), KINDERGARTEN COP benefits from a great supporting cast, especially Reed who has one of the funniest lines to Arnie after he takes a shine to the mother, Joyce (Penelope Ann Miller, CARLITO’S WAY)
It also was another winning film for Reitman, whose knack for good comedy was proven here as well.