At least Arnold, since his Phoenix-like rise from the ashes as Schwarzenegger's sidekick in True Lies, has been trying to carve out his own niche as a lovable lunkhead. That would be the carpool vehicle of the title. So the five kids side with the fun-loving Arnold and help him along in his wild escapade. So we get car chases galore, including through the corridors of an indoor shopping mall.
Cop cars crash, people leap out of the way and stuff gets smashed up.
As the day unfolds, though, Paymer's anal retentive character starts to relax into the nuttiness, thereby becoming a better, more caring dad. As directed in his typical pedestrian fashion by the veteran filmmaker Arthur Hiller, Carpool is a generic formula flick aimed at the lowest common denominator. It is Arnold's job to keep the laughs coming.