Kindergarten Cop 2 (2016)

Number Rolled: 51

Movie Name/Year: Kindergarten Cop 2 (2016)

Tagline: They can smell fear.

Genre: Comedy

Length: 100 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Production Companies: Capital Arts Entertainment, Imagine Entertainment, Universal 1440 Entertainment, Universal Family Entertainment, Where’s Arnold Productions

Producer: Simon Abbott, Mike Elliott, Greg Holstein, Dolph Lundgren

Director: Don Michael Paul

Writer: David H. Steinberg, (based on the film written by:) Timothy Harris, Murray Salem, Herschel Weingrod

Actors: Dolph Lundgren, Darla Taylor, Bill Bellamy, Aleks Paunovic, Sarah Strange, Danny Wattley, Michael P. Nothey, Abbie Magnuson, Blake Stadel, Dean Petriw, Tyreah Herbert, Valencia Budijanto, Michael Adamthwaite, Andre Tricoteux, William Budijanto, Raphael Alejandro, Enid-Raye Adams, Rebecca Olson, Shannon Spears, Josiah Black, Matilda Shoichet-Stoll, Fiona Vroom, Philip Cabrita, Jenn Griffin, Oscar Hartley

Blurb from Netflix: A hard-edged FBI agent goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher to recover stolen Witness Protection Program data in this action-comedy special.

Selina’s Point of View:

Hollywood, please… if you’re going to make a movie like this call it what it is: a remake. This film was not a sequel and it’s almost false advertising to say it was.

I hate ‘sequels’ like this. By the very definition of the word ‘sequel’ – this movie is disqualified.

Kindergarten Cop 2 did not continue the story of the first one, it did not develop the theme of the first one, and the story did not take place as a result of the first one. See? Not a sequel.

Once upon a time, my mom and I used to watch the original Kindergarten Cop (1990) over and over again. So much so that we could BOTH quote it – and my mom’s not a real movie lover like I am. It’s been a while now since I’ve seen that adorable-ness, but I still remember it quite clearly. There was a lot of cheesy acting and jokes, but it all came together to make something memorable.

In this REMAKE the acting was bad, not just cheesy. In fact, the first five minutes was so horrible – acting-wise – that I seriously thought it was a scene of actors pretending to act badly because their characters were filming something. When I realized the main character was actually a cop, I just sunk into my couch and groaned. I knew what I was in for from there on out.

The best parts of the film were Bill Bellamy (Noobz, Mr. Box Office, Fastlane) and the kids. The script was crap, the remade story was sub-par, and the other actors just had nothing to add to it all.

I am disappointed in this film and have no intention of ever watching it again.

Cat’s Point of View:

I didn’t expect a lot from this sequel. That was a good thing, really, considering I didn’t get a lot from it. This movie is likely just a bid to get in on the nostalgia sequel bandwagon. At least it wasn’t a remake, right? No one else would have been able to adequately reassure us with a heavy accent that they weren’t afflicted with a tumor and find the same comedic gold.

The movie was largely predictable with a sizeable dose of elements from the original 1990 movie- but with a modern spin. The kids were swimming in this new-fangled coddled culture and the tech got a boost, but I had seen it all before.

I had a really hard time paying attention to this one. It took some serious effort.

I’m a big 80’s action movie fan, so I am always interested in following iconic actors from the movies that I love. Dolph Lundgren (Legendary, Skin Trade, Shark Lake) is one of those that tends to make a role interesting. Seeing him in this movie wasn’t quite the same feeling as the famous Govern-ator brought to the original, though.

The nature of the interaction between Darla Taylor’s (Lucky In Love, Down Here, Killer Photo) character and Lundgren was also a bit on the unbelievable side. I mean, really – he’s old enough to be her father, literally, and looks it. There’s a 30 year age difference between them and she’s 29. She was a great pick as a kindergarten teacher that was a real person outside of the uber-P.C. environment of the school – but I think it should have stopped there.

All in all, the movie was cute and ultimately boring. There are funnier and more interesting nostalgia sequels out there. I’d likely recommend one of those over this one.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 26%

Netflix’s Prediction for Selina – 1.5/5

Selina’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 1/5

Netflix’s Prediction for Cat – 2.5/5

Cat’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 2/5

Movie Trailer: