Workaholic Daniel Miller is forced to drive his family carpool when his wife becomes ill. Daniel is in the middle of a huge advertising campaign for Hammerman's, a large chain of delis, and initially refuses the carpool until his wife guilts him into it. It includes his two sons, Andrew and Bucky, two local ladies; Chelsea and her older sister, Kayla, and local weirdo Travis. Meanwhile, Franklin Laszlo is the owner of a failing carnival. Franklin has the bright idea to rob a bank in order to get the money to keep his business going. As he leaves to attempt his bank robbery, Franklin enters a local Hammerman's where Daniel is also at. Inside, two gunmen hold it up and eventually a standoff ensues between them, an older woman, Franklin, and a local detective, Lt. Erdman. Through a series of misunderstandings, Franklin takes Daniel hostage and has Hammerman's money that the gunmen had stolen from the deli. Heading to the van, Franklin kidnaps Daniel and the children. The group bonds through a series of misadventures; stopping at a hair salon to use the bathroom, evading the police using a disguise, and eventually being chased by an obsessed meter maid, Martha. Franklin reveals to the group the reason behind his robbery and kidnapping: keeping the carnival open so he can see his son. Eventually, Franklin takes the group to his carnival, where the children enjoy the rides. The two gunmen have tracked Franklin through his wallet, which he had dropped in the deli, and want Hammerman's money. A fight ensues, with the controls to the Ferris Wheel being damaged. Daniel uses his advertising materials to jam the mechanism of ride and climbs up to rescue Andrew. Franklin ties up the gunmen, locks them into the Zipper and gets his wallet back, but Daniel presses the button, and the gunmen enjoy the rides. Daniel realizes it's too late to attend his pitch meeting, but Franklin convinces him otherwise. Daniel arrives late and unprepared but successfully pitches to Mr. Hammerman that children don't like his chain and that a revamp to something more kid-friendly would help. Franklin likes the idea, and Daniel gains the backbone to tell him he quits. Eventually the police arrive, but Daniel does not wish to press charges, and Franklin is let off the hook. Sometime later, Franklin and Daniel are co-owners of the carnival, with Mr. Hammerman supplying them with food. Everything seems to be okay, until Franklin realizes he missed a lunch date with his mother, who is shown destroying a local Sizzler over the closing credits.
The film opened theatrically on August 23, 1996 in 1,487 venues nationwide and earned $1,628,482 in its first weekend, ranking thirteenth in the domestic box office. At the end of its run, it had grossed $3,325,651. Based on an estimated $17 million budget, it was a box office bomb.
Critical response
The film was panned by critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 13% score based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 2.6/10. On Metacritic the film has a score of 15 out of 100 based on reviews from 10 critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade B- on scale of A to F. Ty Burr for Entertainment Weekly calls the film "Hard to hate, but just about impossible to like" and gives it grade D+. Variety called it: "Low-tech, high-volume slapstick, "Carpool" is a ramshackle if amiable chase comedy that should have some appeal for end-of-summer family outings." Janet Maslin, of the New York Times, pointed out that the supporting characters, especially Rhea Perlman, end up standing out with more pleasant moments when compared to the performance of Tom Arnold. Rita Kempley of the Washington Post, emphasizes that in contrast to the character of Daniel who discovers that life should be fun, the film is not the same for the viewer.
Accolades
Arnold tied with Pauly Shore for a 1996 Razzie Award in part for his role in the film as well as for Big Bully and The Stupids. He also won Worst Actor for the same movies at the 1996 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards; said movies were also dishonourable mentions for Worst Picture.
