Action and comedy are probably two of the most money-making genres. But, occasionally you get the action-comedy combinations that often rivals the success of the two genres separately. One such action comedy film is Kindergarten Cop, which premiered on December 21st, 1990. The film follows a tough police detective working undercover as a kindergarten teacher to apprehend a drug dealer before he can get to his former wife and son. He then discovers a passion for teaching he never knew he had and considers changing his profession to become an educator while undercover. The hilarious movie is directed by Ivan Reitman.
Kindergarten Cop stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as John Kimble along with Richard Tyson, Pamela Reed, and Penelope Ann Miller, who play Cullen Crisp, Phoebe O’Hara, and Joyce respectively. The film was distributed by Universal Pictures and the original music score was composed by Randy Edelman. The movie was a huge commercial success and grossed 202 million dollars worldwide.
Also Read: Being The Ricardos Ending Explained: How Desi Was Accused
Plot
Kindergarten Cop revolves around John Kimble, an LAPD detective, who arrests Cullen Crisp, an infamous drug dealer, for murder, after pursuing him for years. After getting information regarding the whereabouts of his former wife, Rachel, who he claims stole millions of dollars from him before fleeing with his son, a witness sees Crisp murder the informant. Kimble then goes undercover in Astoria, Oregon to find Rachel and offer her immunity in exchange for testifying against Crisp in court, his partner being former teacher turned detective, Phoebe. She is given the task to act as a substitute teacher in Dominic’s kindergarten class at Astoria Elementary School. However, when she falls ill at the last moment with a terrible case of stomach flu, Kimble takes her place. Miss Schlowski, the suspicious school principal, is convinced that Kimble will not last long before quitting.
He then uses his pet ferret as a class mascot, positive reinforcement, his police training as a model for structure in class, and his experience as a father to become a much admired and cherished figure to the students. He begins to enjoy his undercover role. He later falls in love with Joyce, a fellow teacher, and his student, Dominic’s, mother. Joyce tells Dominic that his father lives in France, when in fact, she is estranged from her husband and will not speak of him. Kimble later learns that Joyce is Rachel and Dominic is Cullen Jr. After Crisp is released from prison, he quickly travels to Astoria with Eleanor, his mother, to search for Dominic. Kimble confronts Rachel about her identity, saying he can protect her if she cooperates after he learns that Crisp has been released. Rachel then tells him that Crisp was irritated that she disappeared with Dominic and the real reason he is searching for her is to find their son.
Also Read: Being The Ricardos Filming Locations: Where is the movie shot?
Kindergarten Cop Ending Explained
At the end of Kindergarten Cop, Crisp uses Dominic as a hostage when Kimble arrives after he starts a fire in the library as a distraction to kidnap his son. Kimble then fatally shoots Crisp when Crisp accidentally shoots him in the leg due to pain after the ferret bites him. Before going inside and discovering Crisp dead, Eleanor injures Phoebe with her car outside. Phoebe then appears and knocks Eleanor unconscious with a baseball bat after she shoots Kimble in the shoulder. Kimble and Phoebe are both then taken to the hospital where they make a full recovery. Phoebe goes back to being a detective and Kimble retires and permanently becomes a kindergarten teacher at the school in Astoria. Joyce joins him as well and the two share a kiss while everyone cheers. There are a few things that do not make sense in the movie. Like, what kind of cop is Kimble?
We know he is a tough detective, but, before he came to the school, we see him use very unorthodox methods to catch bad guys. This is putting it lightly, as some of the methods he is shown to use in the film are probably not even legal. Also, what is the deal with the ferret? Where did it come from? And, how did it get on the plane?
Also Read: The Tragedy of Macbeth Ending Explained: What Happened with Macbeth?