Another movie from director Tim Burton, this was actually his first feature film. And it's funny, how you can compare some of his extremely dark movies with the upbeat family comedy Pee Wee's Big Adventure, the hit that jump started his career. And who is Pee Wee, you might ask? Well, he's a childlike character played by Paul Reubens, and...that's pretty much all that's known about him. But the unimportant things don't matter. This movie kicks @$$.
Pee Wee Herman (Reubens) is an oddball child in the body of a man whose favorite possession is his bike. But when it gets stolen, he must go on a journey to retrieve it, which takes him from his small town to the Alamo to Hollywood. Along the way, he meets many interesting characters, and often offers them his unusual advice.
This is a weird movie in that it can be both hilarious and terrifying to children. Along with the comedy there's some dark atmospheric scenes, the "Large Marge" character who morphs into a ghoul, and a surreal dream sequence where clown doctors tear apart Pee Wee's bicycle...all "humorously presented", of course. Actually, my favorite scene has got to be when Pee Wee invites all his friends over to try and find out where his bike went. It's so dark and moody, it feels straight out of a murder mystery.
How can you describe Pee Wee? Well, it's like the world from the eyes of a child, and that's why it's awesome. Another great part is the climax, in which Pee Wee finds his bike at Warner Bros. Studios gets chased by a bunch of security guards through the sets for different retro movies--a Godzilla flick, a Christmas movie, a beach party film--and accidentally messes up all the filming. Actually, that's another way to describe this movie: retro. Everything has a weird 1950s ambience that Tim Burton's usually known for. Also, there are some really cool filming locations used in this movie. I won't spoil it, you'll have to see it for yourself.
And another thing...what does Pee Wee do for a living? He lives in every child's dream house, full of all sorts of gadgets and toys, and he has a cool bike, but it's never explained how he has the money for them. Is he an inventor? A telemarketer? Did his parents die and leave him a big fortune? If so, that's kind of morbid.... But also, Paul Reubens played a drug dealer in the movie Blow, so that might hold part of the explanation.
With fun humor, good special effects, and a memorable protagonist, Pee Wee's Big Adventure is truly underrated. However, not everyone thinks that. The movie's whopping 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.com has dropped by nine points, and the Tim Burton-less 1988 sequel, Big Top Pee Wee, left a sour taste in everyone's mouth. But it's about time for Tim to make a return to his low budget comedies and bring back Pee Wee in some way. And if anyone tells him that the character is too childish for modern audiences, he can respond like this: "I know you are, but what am I?"
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