Python Hyena Carpool (1996): Dir: Arthur Hiller / Cast: Tom Arnold, David Paymer, Kim Coates, Rhea Perlman, Rachael Leigh Cook: Dreadful piece of trash that suggests that not just the children are rowdy in the van but also the situation at hand. David Paymer must drive the kids to school when his wife is too ill but Tom Arnold takes them hostage in their van after a foiled robbery attempt. Apparently he needed money to get his circus up and going. Police catch on and what follows is The Cannonball Run with new rules. Director Arthur Hiller previously made such acclaim films as Love Story and Silver Streak but here he wipes out with cheap production values. Arnold constantly mugs every scene and Paymer is at the mercy of bad writing. Together they are trapped within a film that will likely scar their careers for life. Rhea Pearlman has the thankless role of meter maid who pursues them. Kim Coates overacts as a cop whose basic job is to wipe out or crash into solid objects. Rachael Leigh Cook plays the less than impressed daughter whom will obviously come around in the conclusion. Laugh-less comedy featuring humour that may be deemed inappropriate for its target audience but then again what parent desires to watch a child jams gummie bears up his nose and eat them? Easily one of the worst films of the year and deserves to be toss into an interstate until it is mashed into the nothing that it is. Score: 1 / 10

EdnaWelthorpe I only saw this movie once years ago. I suppose the fact that I still remember it should be to the film's credit but every time I think about it, I just get filled with revulsion and rage over how incredibly stupid this movie is.Why do I hate it? Well let's start with the premise of Tom Arnold being a goofball who happens to take an entire carpool hostage...how could anyone think this premise would work? Especially with Tom Arnold as the lead?The rest is a series of unfunny chase scenes, including driving through the mall just like the Blues Brothers only that movie was funny and this one...oh and there's one scene where Tom Arnold has the dad hold his hand and give him a baseball related pep talk of some kind (I don't know how to describe it) so that he could urinate.Also scraping the bottom of the barrel in the movie is the treatment of Rachel Leigh Cook as she is subjected to repeated, unwanted advances from the boy who is her age. Pretty sure it qualified as harassment.But when this movie could not get any stupider, it ends with everyone going to the dad's presentation and somehow pitching their horrific kidnapping and ordeal into a commercial pitch.This movie is awful! Avoid it like the plague if you can.

namashi_1 As a kid, I had no knowledge of Cinema. I only relied on Cartoons and Comedies like 'Carpool'. I remember enjoying myself while watching 'Carpool' back in the late 1990's. Now when I saw it on TV after all these-years, When I itself started to watch films like 'Ben Hur', 'Casablanca' etc, I consider this 1996 flick to be a weak effort.'Carpool' is not a terrible film, but it's not good either. However, Kids of my age back then, enjoyed themselves. In terms of 'Screenplay' & 'Direction', this flick offers nothing magnificent and I can confirm you that the Makers didn't intend to make a 'milestone' film anyway. Their intension was to make Kids laugh, and of what I remember, the kids did.Arthur Hiller's direction as well as the screenplay offer nothing great. For some reason, Tom Arnold won a Razzie-Award for Worst Actor for his performance in here, while David Paymer delivered a truly good performance. David Paymer is amongst "the" most under-rated actors of his time. The kids did a fine job.On the whole, A film that never will be talked about, and I guess it never even wanted to be Evergreen.

cwm368 Tom Arnold really shined in the movie,i've always liked him and it was great to see him get a leading role. David Paymer played the role of the 'all work, no pleasure,up tight dad' role very well. Even Mr.Hammermin was hilarious at the end when the group gave him slogans for their carnival project. The children played their roles well,with child innocence it's great to see grown people especially men bond with their kids and that's what I got from watching this movie... 7 out of ten!~CWM~