--- title: "Kindergarten Cop" year: 1990 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/kindergarten-cop" fi1m_id: "kindergarten-cop" imdb_id: "tt0099938" tmdb_id: 951 wikidata_id: "Q257630" fi1m_score: 65 critics_score: 56 critics_reviews: 6 published: "2026-10-04T21:22:13.270144+00:00" updated: "2026-10-04T21:22:29.166864+00:00" region: "IS" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Kindergarten Cop (1990) Directed by Ivan Reitman · 1h 51m · Comedy ## Identity Kindergarten Cop - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/kindergarten-cop - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** kindergarten-cop - **IMDb ID:** tt0099938 - **TMDB ID:** 951 - **Wikidata ID:** Q257630 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099938/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/951, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q257630 **Fi1m score: 65** · Critics 56 from 6 reviews *In a sentence:* The children give Arnold Schwarzenegger better material than the adults do > Arnold Schwarzenegger’s exchanges with the children make *Kindergarten Cop* an amiable, uneven comedy. Pamela Reed is good company, but a slack middle and an unconvincing romance keep it from being more than a modest diversion. ## Synopsis Kimble (Arnold Schwarzenegger) faces his first day in kindergarten, with a class of children who give him plenty to contend with. Phoebe (Pamela Reed) is his sidekick; Joyce (Penelope Ann Miller) and Miss Schlowski (Linda Hunt) are among the adults around him. Getting through to the children becomes a task in itself, alongside the demands of police work and a developing romance. The classroom brings comic confrontations, while the crime story includes Crisp (Richard Tyson) and Eleanor Crisp (Carroll Baker), with violence sharing space with the comedy. ## Review *Kindergarten Cop* is a decent comedy whenever it lets Arnold Schwarzenegger contend with the children, and a less convincing film when it asks him to carry the romance. Ivan Reitman gets a fair amount of enjoyment from that first proposition. The difficulty is keeping it going while a police thriller demands attention of its own. There is enough here for an undemanding evening, though the middle could have used firmer treatment. We laughed at Arnold Schwarzenegger sparring with the children, because his authority seems so much less useful to him in their company. He is funny when the effort to remain in charge becomes visible. The joke is simple and does not offer unlimited variations, but the children give him something immediate to respond to. Comedies about adults out of their depth depend on watching them adjust, and Ivan Reitman gives his star time to make that adjustment. Pamela Reed gives Phoebe the briskness the film needs whenever its leading man threatens to become the entire show. Her sidekick performance has enough personality to hold our attention without turning each exchange into a competition. Richard Tyson as Crisp and Carroll Baker as Eleanor Crisp give the criminal side more presence than this sort of comedy always bothers to provide. That helps the thriller passages, even if having forceful villains also makes the changes in tone more pronounced. Michael Chapman’s cinematography is at its most useful when it keeps the physical mismatch clear. Bruno Rubeo’s production design has the same job, and neither contribution needs to advertise itself for the classroom joke to work. Randy Edelman’s music has to accommodate comedy, threat and tenderness, though the romantic material remains unconvincing. The plain comic business is the more dependable pleasure. The screenplay by Timothy Harris, Murray Salem and Herschel Weingrod has trouble making the romance worth the time it takes. It asks for affection without making the relationship particularly persuasive. This is not disastrous, and it does not take over the film, but the classroom exchanges are more engaging and we spend too long waiting to return to them. We need not be laughing constantly; we do need a stronger reason for spending time away from the children. Wendy Greene Bricmont and Sheldon Kahn’s editing cannot quite disguise how thin the central situation becomes across 111 minutes. The middle loses momentum, and the switches between comedy, violence and romance start to feel like an attempt to keep several audiences occupied. There are enjoyable scenes on either side of that lull. Cutting the quieter stretches more tightly might have helped, though the writing would still leave the romance short of conviction. The mixture also matters when choosing who to watch it with. The violence is part of the offer, not an incidental rough edge that the presence of children makes harmless. Keep the 15 certificate in mind before allowing the word kindergarten to settle the question. *Fi1m score 65, published 4 October 2026.* ## What the critics say The available reviews lean towards qualified approval of Kindergarten Cop’s comedy, rather than enthusiasm for the film as a whole. Praise centres on the exchanges between Schwarzenegger and the children, which Radio Times finds effective, and Pamela Reed’s supporting performance, appreciated even by the less persuaded critics. Time Out also sees some success in balancing comedy and thrills, while acknowledging that the film does not fully escape the limitations of that combination. Reservations concern how well the entertainment holds together: Empire finds the central joke thin and the middle badly sagging, while Radio Times is unconvinced by the romance. Variety is the clear negative dissent, finding an awkward mixture of violence, psychological drama and lukewarm comedy, with Schwarzenegger struggling to find focus. The spread otherwise looks fairly narrow, though two of the six listed reviews have unavailable texts, so their specific judgements cannot be verified. ## Straight answers **Is Kindergarten Cop worth watching?** *Kindergarten Cop* is worth considering for an undemanding evening if Arnold Schwarzenegger sparring with children appeals; we score it 65 out of 100. We find the classroom exchanges funny and Pamela Reed good company, but the slack middle and unconvincing romance make it a modest diversion rather than a comedy we recommend without reservations. **How long is Kindergarten Cop, and what is it rated?** *Kindergarten Cop* runs 1h 51m. It is a comedy film. **Where can I watch Kindergarten Cop in Iceland?** *Kindergarten Cop* is not on any streaming or rental service in Iceland at the moment. It is available in 45 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How violent or frightening is Kindergarten Cop, and is it suitable for children?** *Kindergarten Cop* has a UK 15 certificate and mixes classroom comedy with violence, so its school setting does not make it suitable for young children. We would keep that rating firmly in mind: the police thriller brings threat and forceful villains, and the shifts away from comedy matter for anyone sensitive to violence. **How does Kindergarten Cop compare to The School of Rock?** *Kindergarten Cop* is the more uneven choice beside [*The School of Rock*](https://film.one/film/the-school-of-rock), which we recommend more readily for classroom comedy with earned laughs and affection. Both find humour in an unsuitable teacher learning to listen to the class, but *Kindergarten Cop* divides its attention between children, police work and an unconvincing romance; its chief attraction is Schwarzenegger struggling to stay in charge. **What should I watch after Kindergarten Cop?** After *Kindergarten Cop*, try [*School of Rock*](https://film.one/film/the-school-of-rock) (2003, Fi1m 84): Another unsuitable teacher discovers that listening to the class can be useful. Then [*The Kid*](https://film.one/film/the-kid) (1921, Fi1m 84): A resourceful child makes adult authority look foolish, with warmth behind the slapstick. ### Reviews we read (6) - **RogerEbert.com** (64/100, inferred): The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict cannot be verified. No praise or complaint from the review was visible. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/kindergarten-cop-1990) - **The New York Times** (64/100, inferred): The URL indicates a review of the film, but the article text is unavailable. Its verdict and specific praise or criticism cannot be verified. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/21/movies/review-film-a-school-for-scandal-but-a-scandal-of-a-different-sort.html) - **Empire**, Kim Newman (60/100, inferred): Newman finds the film generally entertaining despite a badly sagging middle and a thin central joke. He praises its stronger-than-usual villains and Pamela Reed’s well-judged sidekick performance. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/kindergarten-cop-review/) - **Radio Times**, David Parkinson (3/5): Parkinson finds the comedy effective overall, with Schwarzenegger especially good at sparring with the children. He finds the romance less convincing, though it does not intrude too much. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-vtoyti/kindergarten-cop/) - **Time Out**, TCh (60/100, inferred): The review suggests the film does a better-than-usual job balancing comedy and thrills, though it does not fully overcome the genre’s limits. It singles out the film’s partial success at covering both bases. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/kindergarten-cop) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (30/100, inferred): The review finds the film a mish-mash of violence, psycho-drama, and lukewarm comedy. It singles out Schwarzenegger’s inability to find focus, while noting Pamela Reed’s spirited performance. [Read](https://variety.com/1989/film/reviews/kindergarten-cop-1200428365/) ## Details - **Director:** Ivan Reitman - **Director:** Ivan Reitman - **Screenplay:** Murray Salem, Timothy Harris, Herschel Weingrod - **Story:** Murray Salem - **Cinematography:** Michael Chapman - **Editor:** Sheldon Kahn, Wendy Greene Bricmont - **Music:** Randy Edelman - **Production design:** Bruno Rubeo - **Costume design:** Gloria Gresham - **Producer:** Ivan Reitman, Brian Grazer - **Cast:** Arnold Schwarzenegger as Kimble; Penelope Ann Miller as Joyce; Pamela Reed as Phoebe; Linda Hunt as Miss Schlowski; Richard Tyson as Crisp; Carroll Baker as Eleanor Crisp; Joseph Cousins as Dominic; Christian Cousins as Dominic - **Runtime:** 1h 51m - **First release (Canada):** 21 December 1990 - **Genres:** Comedy - **Budget:** $15 million - **Box office:** $202 million ## Where to watch in Iceland Not streaming, renting or buying in Iceland at the last check. Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Uncle Buck* (1989): A difficult adult learns that looking after children requires more than confidence. - *School of Rock* (2003), Fi1m 84: Another unsuitable teacher discovers that listening to the class can be useful. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-school-of-rock.md) - *Police Story* (1985): For the physical comedy and police action, with considerably more daring stuntwork. - *The Teacher's Diary* (2014): A gentler classroom romance where inexperienced teachers have plenty left to learn. - *The Kid* (1921), Fi1m 84: A resourceful child makes adult authority look foolish, with warmth behind the slapstick. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-kid.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/kindergarten-cop