Hard-edged cop John Kimble gets more than he bargained for when he goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher to get the goods on a brutal drug lord while at the same time protecting the man's young son. Pitted against a class of boisterous moppets whose antics try his patience and test his mettle, Kimble may have met his match … in more ways than one.
[Director Reitman's] got a way with kids, and found a remarkable ensemble of 30 antic urchins to work with, cashing in on kindergarten's comic terrain and the blurted brutal honesty of the kids.
– Joe Brown,
Washington Post,
1 Jan 2000
fresh:
hough Schwarzenegger remains to acting what ham hocks are to a cheese course, he manages against all odds to be appealing as the Austrian au pair. Think of it as To Conan With Love.
– Rita Kempley,
Washington Post,
1 Jan 2000
rotten:
In Kindergarten Cop, he plays off the Schwarzenegger image more gleefully and successfully than ever before.
– Caryn James,
New York Times,
20 May 2003
rotten:
If Reitman's film gets closer than most to covering the bases, there remain huge gaps in plausibility and a romantic subplot any ten-year-old could tell you is just plain icky.
– Geoff Andrew,
Time Out,
24 Jun 2006
rotten:
A mish-mash of violence, psycho-drama and lukewarm kiddie comedy.