The Kid & I
Watch The Kid & I Movie Online
The Kid & I is one of the few films in which the name of the writer overshadows that of the director. Tom Arnold, who is credited with the screenplay, is a well known comedy actor, while Penelope Spheeris is not widely known as a director. Arnold also acts in the film, as do Joe Mantegna and Linda Hamilton. Admittedly, Hamilton is better known for her work in the Terminator films than for generating laughs in comedies, so people interested in seeing her performance in another genre might want to pick this film up.
This film is surprisingly bizarre for a comedy, and the story behind its production might go a long way towards explaining exactly why. It starts with a young man named Eric Gores, the son of a billionaire and an aspiring actor. However, Gores has cerebral palsy, which certainly limits his options in his chosen area. However, his father hired Tom Arnold to write a script for a movie in which Gores would star. The result is The Kid & I, which also stars Gores.
The weirdness really kicks in once we start comparing the plot to the movie’s back-story. Tom Arnold wrote a script about a has-been actor who plans to end his life, until a wealthy man (Joe Mantegna), hires him to write a script for his cerebral palsy-afflicted son (Gores, of course). We might, then, see this film as borrowing the structure from Adaptation or 8 ½.
Tom Arnold is a skillful comedian, but he does not always get involved in good projects, or films that tap his full potential. Unfortunately, The Kid & I seems to be one of the lesser projects on his résumé—which is especially disappointing, since one would expect Arnold to write a script that would show off his gifts, and hopefully those of his co-stars. This might be due to the direction—or rather non-direction—of Penelope Spheeris. A more skillful director might have made more of the structural craziness of the script, or pushed things in a zanier, more intellectual direction. However, the film rarely hangs together, and often seems to be an excuse for several cameos, including one by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The Kid & I
Surprisingly, one of the actors in the film who does well is Gores himself. Of course, this is not the place to speculate on the extent to which he may have simply been playing himself. In any case, he is able to straddle the line between likability and brattiness. He is a generally decent young man, and one feels sympathy for his weakness, but he can also be a tyrannical brat.
As for Tom Arnold, he is—well, Tom Arnold. If you have already enjoyed his works in other films, you are likely to be entertained by him here. Otherwise, his work in The Kid & I is unlikely to win you over.
In the end, The Kid & I is more accurately described as an interesting film, rather than one which is great, or even very good. See it if you are in the mood for something off the beaten track—or are planning to write a journal article on meta-fictional approaches to film.
Year : 2005
Director : Penelope Spheeris
Writer : Tom Arnold
Starring : Tom Arnold, Linda Hamilton, Joe Mantegna, Eric Gores
Country : United States
Running time: 93 min.
Genre: comedy
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