Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with today's news of the weird. I've always liked Tom Arnold as a personality. Seeing him make fun of himself and his relationship with Roseanne on various talkshows and in interviews is always good for a laugh, but most of his film work leaves... well, a bit to be desired. But then again, I found myself enjoying CARPOOL, even though I was trying hard not to, so what the hell? I'll give this one a shot, especially since he seems to be parodying his own life. Hopefully it won't be another STUPIDS or BIG BULLY. What do you folks think?
Hi, if you use this, I'm Gawain the Stout
I went to a test screening of Tom Arnold's film The Kid and I, at the Warner Brothers lot. The crew there told us this was the first time the film had ever been seen. Knowing that I was walking in on a film written and starring Tom Arnold, with Shannon Elizabeth, Shaquille O'Neal, and Goldberg, I had extraordinarily low expectations.
Boy was I surprised.
The film was funny. The casting was inspired. Tom, who derives a lot of his goodwill from being able to poke fun at himself, spares no inside joke, as he basically plays himself (His character is "Bill Williams, a has-been actor who starred with Arnold Schwarzenegger in True Lies").
The story was touching. Without giving any spoilers away, Tom is hired to write and co-star in a clone of True Lies with the 17-year-old son of a wealthy billionaire (Joe Mantegna) -- who happens to be a MAJOR fan of the original movie. The catch? The son (Eric Gores) has Cerebal Palsy.
This is where the movie WORKS. Eric Gores steals every scene he's in, and this keeps this movie from being much more than just a superior version of the Chuck Norris film "Sidekicks".
Most of the casting really works. Linda Hamilton plays Arnold's ex-wife, and now-famous producer. Richard Edsen (who I can't remember seeing since being the parking attendant who takes Cameron's dad's Ferrari out for a joy ride in Ferris Bueller) is BRILLIANT as Arnold's homeless, alcoholic, slacker personal assistant.
The only role I didn't care a lot for was Henry Winkler. He seems to have fallen into this strange zone where he's trying to find a role for himself that isn't Fonzy, and it just isn't working. Playing Arnold's high-profile agent, Winkler here doesn't seem very different from his spin as the coach in The Waterboy.
This movie is funny, inspiring, and it will not get anywhere near the respect it deserves, because no one's going to believe Tom Arnold could have written such a wonderful film. And it won't make anywhere near the money it deserves, because there's not an A-lister in the bunch that can open it.
