The Kid & I (2005)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:26
Fresh:9
Rotten:17
Average Rating:4.6/10
Consensus: Well-intentioned but sappy, The Kid & I is a strange hybrid of comedy and cinema verite.
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins
Genre: Comedies
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... [More]
Starring: Tom Arnold, Richard Edson, Joe Mantegna, Henry Winkler
Director: Penelope Spheeris
Reviews for The Kid & I
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
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 D |
Tom Arnold wrote and stars in this heart-on-sleeve "comedy" that will go down in cinema history as one of the most awkward additions ever made to the genre. Full Review |
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Works most poignantly as a testament to a father's love and an unapologetic celebration of Hollywood's m.o. Full Review |
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Click to read the article Full Review |
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1/4 |
Has straight-to-DVD written all over it. Full Review |
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Imagine if Tom Arnold had written "Adaptation." No, really. Full Review |
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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 |
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Click to read the article Full Review |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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1/4 |
Either the most inept vanity production ever made or the most deadpan satirical prank ever pulled. Full Review |
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0.5/4 |
Manages to be cloying, insulting, and self-serving in equally dire measure. Full Review |
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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 |
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1.5/4 |
Tom Arnold does have talent, but some self-defeating streak keeps him from using it. Full Review |
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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 |
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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 |
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C- |
This wan attempt at inspirational comedy doesn't bother to look closely at anything. Full Review |
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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 |
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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 |
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2/5 |
A chore to watch, The Kid and I is self-congratulatory, excruciatingly sentimental and sloppily written and directed. Full Review |
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