Review of The Kid & I (2005) by Brian P — 13 Nov 2006

[font=Courier New]Bill Williams (Tom Arnold) is a down-and-out actor who only managed to star in one hit film, [i]True Lies[/i]. The day he decides he is going to commit suicide, his agent (Henry Winkler) comes out of the blue and offers him a job making a sequel to [i]True Lies[/i]. He will have to star as the comic relief once again. This time along side the son of a wealthy man, who is financing the film as a gift for his son?s 18th birthday. Only things aren?t going to be as easy as Bill expected, since his co-star Aaron (Eric Gores) has cerebral palsy.

Penelope Spheeris? [i]The Kid & I[/i] is one of the corniest and overly sentimental films ever made. I know the film is trying to teach tolerance, and that disabled people have the same rights as anyone else in the world. But I do question why this kid deserves his own movie financed for him. Also, a lot of the film?s messages can be twisted to make most of the people in the film seem like bad guys, rather than people who care about Aaron. But if you don?t put too much thought into it, and if you can see that the film?s heart is in the right place, [i]The Kid & I[/i] is an enjoyable film.

A lot of the humor in the film is D.O.A., but none of it will have you rolling your eyes or checking your watch to see how long you?ve been watching the film. There are a few moments that should squeeze a laugh out of you, but too few for me to remember. But Tom Arnold?s performance along side Eric Gores is fascinating and fun to watch, and really makes the movie work.

The supporting cast is large and varied. Containing actors like Linda Hamilton, Joe Mantegna, Shannon Elizabeth, Shaquille O?Neal, and wrestler Goldberg among others. While there are a lot of characters, especially small roles for people to make cameos in, the film doesn?t overuse them or in some cases use them to their fullest potential. I know it is a film about Aaron, but sometimes a little more knowledge of the people around him would have benefited the film.

In the end, I am giving this film a fresh rating. I didn?t hate it, but I don?t like it. It was charming, but not something I would go out of my way to watch again. But like I said earlier, the film?s heart is in the right place. And like overblown action films winning me with spectacular action sequences, sometimes a film that strikes the right emotional cord can win me over as well. Even when it is so sugary sweet, it should cause cavities by the time the credits roll.[/font].