Universal. Director Ivan Reitman; Producer Ivan Reitman, Brian Grazer; Screenplay Murray Salem, Herschel Weingrod, Timothy Harris; Camera Michael Chapman; Editor Sheldon Kahn, Wendy Greene Bricmont; Music Randy Edelman; Art Director Bruno Rubeo
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Penelope Ann Miller
Pamela Reed
Linda Hunt
Richard Tyson
Carroll Baker
The polished comic vision that gave Twins, Arnold Schwarzenegger's comedy breakthrough, a storybook shine completely eludes director Ivan Reitman here. Result is a mish-mash of violence, psycho-drama and lukewarm kiddie comedy [story by Murray Salem].
Schwarzenegger plays a stoic, unfriendly and ultra-dedicated LA cop obsessed with putting away a murderous drug dealer (Richard Tyson). He needs the testimony of Tyson's ex-wife, who's supposedly living in Oregon on piles of drug money she stole from Tyson. Plan is for Schwarzenegger's goofy gal-pal partner (Pamela Reed) to infiltrate the kindergarden as a teacher and figure out which kid is Tyson's, but when Reed gets a bad stomach flu Schwarzenegger has to report for the job.
It's supposed to be wildly funny to have this grim, musclebound control freak confronted with five-year-olds he can't intimidate, but it isn't. Schwarzenegger has to carry the pic alone; he never finds his focus.
Reed takes a good, feisty stab at holding up her corner of the pic, and Penelope Ann Miller is fittingly sweet and vulnerable as the single mother who romances Schwarzenegger.
(Color) Available on VHS, DVD. Extract of a review from 1990. Running time: 110 MIN.
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