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MOVIES / ON DVD / THE KID & I
The Kid & I

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The Kid & I (2005)

36%
33%
50%
N/A
N/A
N/A
36 %
Reviews Counted: 25 Fresh: 9  Rotten:16 Average Rating: 4.7/10
 
Consensus: Well-intentioned but sappy, The Kid & I is a strange hybrid of comedy and cinema verite.
 

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins

Theatrical Release: Dec 2, 2005 Limited

Synopsis: An offbeat piece of real-life wish-fulfillment, THE KID & I stars Tom Arnold as Bill Williams, a down-and-out actor who, just like Arnold himself, had his greatest screen success opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in TRUE LIES. Just as Williams is about to kill himself, he gets the offer to write... An offbeat piece of real-life wish-fulfillment, THE KID & I stars Tom Arnold as Bill Williams, a down-and-out actor who, just like Arnold himself, had his greatest screen success opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in TRUE LIES. Just as Williams is about to kill himself, he gets the offer to write and star in an action film in which he will be teamed with hardcore TRUE LIES fan Aaron Roman (Eric Gores, Arnold's real-life neighbor), the cerebral palsy-stricken son of multimillionaire Davis Roman (Joe Mantegna). In a slightly cracked mirror version of the film's behind-the-scenes true story, Williams reluctantly agrees to the offer, only to find himself transformed by his young costar's indomitable spirit. As with reality TV, THE KID & I could almost be marketed as a documentary. Star Gore's wealthy father did commission neighbor Arnold to pen THE KID & I for his TRUE LIES-loving son, director Penelope Spheeris (WAYNE'S WORLD) appears as herself, and we even get to see some home movie footage of Gore as a child. But the result, which could have been cloying or exploitative, is an unusual family-friendly satire of Hollywood that doesn't shy away from a little darkness when necessary. Gore--who really does suffer from cerebral palsy--is a winning presence, game for anything and with sharp comic timing. And though one could go crazy trying to figure out where Bill Williams ends and Tom Arnold begins, his patented manic self-deprecation is appealing and he has a great foil in veteran character actor Richard Edson. [More]

Genre: Comedies

Starring: Tom Arnold, Richard Edson, Joe Mantegna, Henry Winkler, Shannon Elizabeth

Director: Penelope Spheeris
Screenwriter: Tom Arnold
Composer: Damon Fox

DVD Info

Release:

Oct 24, 2006

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • Keep Case
  • Widescreen
  • Full Frame - 1.33

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital Surround Sound 5.1 - English

Additional Release Material:

  • Trailers - 1. Theatrical Trailer
  • 2. TV Spots
  • Featurettes - 1. Behind the Scenes
  • 2. Bloopers
  • 3. Outtakes
  • 4. Featurette
  • 5. Soundtrack

Buy It On DVD

Reviews

 
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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Ratings Image
N/A

Works most poignantly as a testament to a father's love and an unapologetic celebration of Hollywood's m.o.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/01/07
Doris Toumarkine
Film Journal International
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
12/30/06
Los Angeles Daily News
Ratings Image
1/4

Has straight-to-DVD written all over it.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/04/06
Matt Pais
Metromix.com
Ratings Image
N/A

Imagine if Tom Arnold had written "Adaptation." No, really.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/15/05
Luke Y. Thompson
New Times
Ratings Image
3/4

With the exception of some weird-on-purpose flicks such as those by Jim Jarmusch and David Lynch, "The Kid & I" is arguably the weirdest movie I've seen since 1987.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/09/05
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
12/06/05
Onion AV Club
Ratings Image
1/4

The mesmerizingly awful The Kid & I is a historic first: a comedy about the making of a vanity production that is itself a vanity production.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/06/05
Lou Lumenick
New York Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
4/5

It isn’t perfect but it is so oddly sincere that I found myself growing a sort of affection for it even as all common sense was telling me to think otherwise.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/06/05
Peter Sobczynski
eFilmCritic.com
Ratings Image
N/A

It’s terribly uneven, it’s far too corny and it’s really not all that great, but it’s so strange and so compelling that you have to see it.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/05/05
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
1/4

Either the most inept vanity production ever made or the most deadpan satirical prank ever pulled.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/02/05
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Ratings Image
0.5/4

Manages to be cloying, insulting, and self-serving in equally dire measure.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/02/05
Timothy Knight
Reel.com
Ratings Image
N/A

It would be nice to say that The Kid & I delivers a heartwarming message of perseverance while showing a lighter side of Arnold and spotlighting a new star. Unfortunately, it would not be true.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/02/05
Stephen Whitty
Newark Star-Ledger
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
1.5/4

Tom Arnold does have talent, but some self-defeating streak keeps him from using it.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/02/05
Elizabeth Weitzman
New York Daily News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
4/5

What sets The Kid & I apart from most Hollywood comedies is its restraint, on the part of Arnold, both as writer and actor, as well as Spheeris. Comedy actually grows out of character and situation.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/02/05
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
D

Newcomer Gores is endearing onscreen, but the film built around him is a mess: an amateurish script, a treacly score, barely there direction by Penelope Spheeris and a pointless parade of celebrity cameos.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/02/05
E! Online
Ratings Image
C-

This wan attempt at inspirational comedy doesn't bother to look closely at anything.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/02/05
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
1.5/4

Despite a sentimental streak a mile wide and a truly worthy theme, Penelope Spheeris' The Kid & I is a truly bad film, an awkward and cringe-worthy effort.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/02/05
Dan Fienberg
Zap2it.com
Ratings Image
N/A

The greatest mitzvah ever produced by Hollywood... I don't care what's wrong with this thing, you couldn't pay me to badmouth it.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/01/05
Fred Topel
About.com
Ratings Image
2/5

A chore to watch, The Kid and I is self-congratulatory, excruciatingly sentimental and sloppily written and directed.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/01/05
Stephen Holden
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
N/A

A top-shelf director, well-known cast and an upbeat storyline should combine to give the The Kid and I a feel-good ride at the B.O.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/01/05
John Anderson
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
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Related Forums

REEL_REVIEWER
Penelope Spheeris' THE KID & I gets a Dec. 2, 2005 release!!! (based on a true story)
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/27/06


REEL_REVIEWER
Penelope Spheeris' THE KID & I gets a Dec. 2, 2005 release!!! (based on a true story)
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/27/06


REEL_REVIEWER
Penelope Spheeris' THE KID & I gets a Dec. 2, 2005 release!!! (based on a true story)
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/27/06


REEL_REVIEWER
Penelope Spheeris' THE KID & I gets a Dec. 2, 2005 release!!! (based on a true story)
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/27/06

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