Classic Rewatch

Kindergarten Cop

Arnie’s gleefully easy watch is a perfect pick for National Kindergarten Day.

If you think we’re hooking our daily clips to any old social media day…. you would be 100 per cent correct. It’s National Kindergarten Day so that can mean only one thing for today’s Lockdown Rewatch – Arnold Schwarzenegger having to deal with a bunch of know-it-all kids in the 1990 Ivan Reitman Kindergarten Cop. In a series of wouldn’t-you-just-know-it-there’s-no-other-way plot devices Austrian Oak’s tough detective is forced to go undercover as a children’s teacher on the trail of an elusive drug kingpin. Schwarzenegger’s self-proclaimed favourite film of his (which is quite astonishing when you think about it…) performed above expectations, grossing just over $200 million worldwide. It’s definitely one you either love or hate… 

But did you know…

1) Now Schwarzenegger might seem like the perfect fit for the role of Detective John Kimble, but a number of other Hollywood big shots were previously considered. Amongst them were Bill Murray (who turned the role down without really giving a reason – but that’s Bill for you…), Patrick Swayze, and Danny DeVito. 

2) The movie was filmed in Astoria, Oregon, and director Ivan Reitman cast actual students from the John Jacob Astor Elementary School as extras to appear in the film. The school’s principal, Judy Bigby, wanted to screen the film for the whole school, but ultimately deemed it too violent (it was rated PG-13). Also, the school itself was located just down the road from where Richard Donner and Steven Spielberg shot The Goonies.  

3) A number of the children featured in the movie went on to star in some more prominent roles. Adam Wylie, who played Larry, starred as Brad Langford in Gilmore Girls, Ross Malinger, who played Harvey, also played Tom Hank’s son Jonah in Sleepless in Seattle. And Odette Annable, who played little Rosa, starred as Beth McIntyre in Cloverfield in 2008.