Carpool (1996) Warner Bros./Comedy RT: 90 minutes Rated PG (language, crude humor, comic action and violence, reckless driving) Director: Arthur Hiller Screenplay: Mark Christopher and Don Rhymer Music: John Debney Cinematography: David M. Walsh Release date: August 23, 1996 (US) Cast: David Paymer, Tom Arnold, Rhea Perlman, Rachael Leigh Cook, Rod Steiger, Kim Coates, Micah Gardener, Mikey Kovar, Colleen Rennison, Jordan Blake Warkol, Ian Tracey, John Trench, Stellina Rusich, Obba Babatunde, David Kaye, Shawn MacDonald, Betty Linde, Dolores Drake. Box Office: $3.3M (US)
Rating: ***
What is it with Tom Arnold and bad comedies circa 1996? Audiences (those that bothered to show up anyway) were treated to a triple-shot of his dubious abilities with Big Bully, The Stupids and Carpool. The key to understanding it is to know that it was filmed entirely in Canada. The clean streets are a dead giveaway. All that’s missing is Harvey Atkin or Maury Chaykin, either one will do.
Like Big Bully before it, Warner had no faith in Carpool and did not screen it in advance. They also relegated it to that dumping ground of release dates, late August. All this they did despite the major league director at the helm, Arthur Hiller whose credits include Love Story, The Out-of-Towners, The Hospital, Silver Streak, The In-Laws and Outrageous Fortune. How did he get mixed up with something as dumb and juvenile as Carpool? By all rights, I should be panning this mindless chase comedy along with my esteemed colleagues. Truth is, I actually like it. God help me, I really like it.
The madness begins when workaholic dad Daniel Miller (Paymer, Mr. Saturday Night) is forced to drive the neighborhood carpool on the same day as a big meeting with potential client Mr. Hammerman (Steiger, The Specialist) who owns a chain of gourmet grocery stores. In addition to his own sons, teenage Bucky (Gardener) and grade school age Andrew (Kovar), the passenger list includes slowpoke Chelsea (Rennison), her older sister Kayla (Cook, She’s All That) and oddball Travis (Warkol), the weirdest kid in town.
It doesn’t really matter how it happens. What’s important is that would-be bank robber Franklin Laszlo (Arnold) ends up taking them all hostage as he attempts to dodge a bumbling cop (Coates, The Last Boy Scout), a pair of real crooks (Tracey and Trench) and a gung-ho meter maid (Perlman, Cheers) determined to make the collar herself. She really hates parking scofflaws! The kids start to bond with Franklin because he’s a lot more fun than Daniel. He’s also not that bad of a guy; he needs the money to pay the employees of the failing carnival he owns. Will Daniel make it to his big powwow in time? Take a wild guess.
Carpool contains several car chases including one through a crowded mall a la Blues Brothers. They’re a lot of fun to watch. I suppose if I was 12, I’d think Carpool was great. Well, I’m not 12 and it’s not great. It is, however, pretty good for what it is, a mindless late-summer comedy aimed at middle school kids dreading the fast-approaching first day of school. Paymer and Arnold make a decent comedy duo. The latter seems to be having great fun playing a character- a good-natured, not too bright child at heart- not unlike anything he’s done before. The kids are all pretty good. Leigh is especially good as the object of Bucky’s crush. Travis really is a little weirdo with his swimming goggles, bathing cap and bizarre sense of humor. Perlman also appears to be having a good time. Steiger falls into the same category as Hiller with his presence in a movie that’s a big step down from his Oscar-winning role in 1967’s In the Heat of the Night. Was he looking to cut loose or losing his mind? Hard to tell, but I’ll say a little bit of both.
Hiller attempts to inject Carpool with a strong dose of heartwarming goop with Paymer predictably realizing that family is more important than his career. Anybody could have seen that coming. It’s obvious from the word go that this is the intent of Carpool. It feels maybe half-sincere which is better than many family-oriented comedies. It is funny though. There’s a pretty good running gag about Franklin’s mother and the eating habits that earned her a lifetime ban from Sizzler (remember them?). It reminds me of Mrs. Wolowitz from The Big Bang Theory.
While not particularly well made, Carpool is reasonably entertaining and more enjoyable than it should be. Your enjoyment of it depends on your tolerance for movies aimed at preteens. Call me crazy, question my credibility if you must, but I like it.
