Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily Entertainment GuideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsCannes Film FestivalStar WarsAsian Pacific American Heritage MonthSummer Watch GuideSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Kindergarten Cop

  • 1990
  • PG-13
  • 1h 51m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
169K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,552
467
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert Cave, Christian Cousins, Joseph Cousins, Ben Diskin, Miko Hughes, Sarah Rose Karr, Tom Kurlander, Ross Malinger, Marissa Rosen, and Tameka Runnels in Kindergarten Cop (1990)
Cop DramaHigh-Concept ComedyActionComedyCrime

A tough cop must pose as a kindergarten teacher in order to locate a dangerous criminal's ex-wife, who may hold the key to putting him behind bars.A tough cop must pose as a kindergarten teacher in order to locate a dangerous criminal's ex-wife, who may hold the key to putting him behind bars.A tough cop must pose as a kindergarten teacher in order to locate a dangerous criminal's ex-wife, who may hold the key to putting him behind bars.

  • Director
    • Ivan Reitman
  • Writers
    • Murray Salem
    • Herschel Weingrod
    • Timothy Harris
  • Stars
    • Arnold Schwarzenegger
    • Penelope Ann Miller
    • Pamela Reed
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.3/10
    169K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,552
    467
    • Director
      • Ivan Reitman
    • Writers
      • Murray Salem
      • Herschel Weingrod
      • Timothy Harris
    • Stars
      • Arnold Schwarzenegger
      • Penelope Ann Miller
      • Pamela Reed
    • 196User reviews
    • 54Critic reviews
    • 61Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 1 nomination total

    Videos2

    Kindergarten Cop
    Trailer 2:08
    Kindergarten Cop
    What Roles Has Arnold Schwarzenegger Turned Down?
    Video 3:34
    What Roles Has Arnold Schwarzenegger Turned Down?
    What Roles Has Arnold Schwarzenegger Turned Down?
    Video 3:34
    What Roles Has Arnold Schwarzenegger Turned Down?

    Photos147

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 141
    View Poster

    Top cast99+

    Edit
    Arnold Schwarzenegger
    Arnold Schwarzenegger
    • Det. John Kimble
    Penelope Ann Miller
    Penelope Ann Miller
    • Joyce
    Pamela Reed
    Pamela Reed
    • Det. Phoebe O'Hara
    Linda Hunt
    Linda Hunt
    • Miss Schlowski
    Richard Tyson
    Richard Tyson
    • Crisp
    Carroll Baker
    Carroll Baker
    • Eleanor Crisp
    Joseph Cousins
    Joseph Cousins
    • Dominic
    Christian Cousins
    Christian Cousins
    • Dominic
    Cathy Moriarty
    Cathy Moriarty
    • Sylvester's Mother
    Park Overall
    Park Overall
    • Samantha's Mother
    Jayne Brook
    Jayne Brook
    • Zach's Mother
    Richard Portnow
    Richard Portnow
    • Captain Salazar
    Tom Kurlander
    • Danny
    Alix Koromzay
    Alix Koromzay
    • Cindy
    Betty Lou Henson
    • Keisha's Mother
    Heidi Swedberg
    Heidi Swedberg
    • Joshua's Mother
    Bob Nelson
    • Henry Shoop
    Molly Cleator
    • Assistant to Schlowski
    • Director
      • Ivan Reitman
    • Writers
      • Murray Salem
      • Herschel Weingrod
      • Timothy Harris
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews196

    6.3169.3K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    8TheLittleSongbird

    Wasn't expecting it to work, but it did...

    Kindergarten Cop was a surprisingly good film. I was not expecting it to work, and it worked so much better than I expected it to. Kindergarten Cop is a little overlong and the villains are perhaps a little too pantomime. However, the film does look lovely, and the score and soundtrack gives it its heart-warming sentiment.

    The script also worked. It was funny, it was poignant and it was well-meaning, while there is also a heart-warming story, good direction and pacing and the action while sometimes intense is well-handled.

    I was very surprised by the acting. Kindergarten Cop is not Arnold Schwarznegger's best film, but it does show that he can do comedy, and here he does do it well. He is suitably low-key and avoids being wooden as well. Penelope Ann Miller gives good support as well, and the chemistry between the two is convincing without taking over the film too much. The characters could have easily been stereotypical and unlikeable, but they aren't, instead they have a certain warmth to them, and this is including the kids.

    Overall, not a comedy classic, but it works far better than it should have done. 8/10 Bethany Cox
    7gcd70

    Funny and entertaining

    Very entertaining film about a cop who must go undercover as a kindergarten teacher in order to track down a killer.

    Director Ivan Reitman, who delivers his best film since "Ghostbusters", uses Arnold Schwarzenegger brilliantly in this unusual role. Penelope Ann Miller, Pamela Reed and Linda Hunt lend good support. This is an original movie that, although not full of surprises, keeps the drama and comedy perfectly balanced.

    The children, who are, to Reitman's credit, not used purely to influence the emotions, are adorable and hilarious in a film that is definitely worth your while.

    Friday, April 12, 1991 - Knox District Centre Sunday, May 12, 1991 - Greater Union Melbourne

    "Kindergarten Cop" is still entertaining even the third time. It's a movie that makes you smile.

    Saturday, November 2, 1991 - Video
    6RobTheWatcher

    Kindergarten Cop

    Kindergarten Cop was a very fun and original comedy which uniquely blends genres together such as children, action, comedy and romance. It's definitely an underrated and forgotten about movie. It's pretty decent quality for a 1990 film granted there were some clear production and acting gaps throughout. But Arnold was the perfect casting for this role and he was hilarious throughout. A tough macho police officer having to go undercover as a kindergarten teacher to teach and baby sit kids was a golden idea. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie throughout and it was just a feel good watch. Definitely recommend.
    7ODDBear

    Decent comedy

    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.
    7view_and_review

    Edgy, Funny, Romantic, Cute

    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.

    More like this

    Twins
    6.2
    Twins
    Last Action Hero
    6.5
    Last Action Hero
    True Lies
    7.3
    True Lies
    Total Recall
    7.5
    Total Recall
    Junior
    4.7
    Junior
    Kindergarten Cop 2
    4.4
    Kindergarten Cop 2
    Eraser
    6.2
    Eraser
    Commando
    6.7
    Commando
    The Running Man
    6.6
    The Running Man
    The 6th Day
    5.9
    The 6th Day
    Red Heat
    6.1
    Red Heat
    End of Days
    5.8
    End of Days

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Arnold Schwarzenegger has said this is his favorite role of all his movies. It was a departure from his typical action heroes, and he loved working with the children.
    • Goofs
      As often happens in Hollywood productions, when one fire sprinkler was set off, the others were also. This is not how most fire sprinkler systems work.

      To minimize water damage to property, individual fire sprinkler heads are set off by extreme heat or flame, extinguishing the fire on scene.

      Running sprinklers in unaffected rooms and halls, would cause excessive damage and reduce water pressure for the important areas, and for any firefighters.
    • Quotes

      Detective John Kimble: I have a headache.

      Lowell: It might be a tumor.

      Detective John Kimble: It's not a tumor! It's not a tumor. At all!

    • Crazy credits
      At the beginning of the film, the opening credits are used with written straight-line colors
    • Alternate versions
      The UK cinema version was cut by 19 secs by the BBFC for a 12 certificate with edits to footage of: a woman being slapped in the face, a head-butt, a man's head being hit against a car door, a baseball attack on a woman being reduced to one hit and the subsequent sight of the bat aimed at her midriff, and a reduction in gunshots (from 5 to 2). The cuts were fully restored in the 15 rated video release.
    • Connections
      Edited into 5 Second Movies: Kindergarten Cop (2008)
    • Soundtracks
      The Party Starts Now!
      Music by Andy Shernoff

      Performed by Manitoba's Wild Kingdom

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ25

    • How long is Kindergarten Cop?Powered by Alexa
    • What is 'Kindergarten Cop' about?
    • Is 'Kindergarten Cop' based on a book?
    • Where is Astoria?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 21, 1990 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official Facebook
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Un detective en el kinder
    • Filming locations
      • Astoria, Oregon, USA
    • Production companies
      • Imagine Entertainment
      • Northern Lights Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $15,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $91,457,688
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $7,918,560
      • Dec 23, 1990
    • Gross worldwide
      • $201,957,688
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 51 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby SR
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert Cave, Christian Cousins, Joseph Cousins, Ben Diskin, Miko Hughes, Sarah Rose Karr, Tom Kurlander, Ross Malinger, Marissa Rosen, and Tameka Runnels in Kindergarten Cop (1990)
    Top Gap
    What is the streaming release date of Kindergarten Cop (1990) in Canada?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb app
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb app
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb app
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.