Pee-wee’s Big Adventure is 35 years old! Yes, Paul Reubens’ character, Pee-wee Herman, has been around that long. Even longer if you count the years before he made it into the movies with the iconic character. Reubens has been doing the character since 1977 when he created Pee-wee Herman for The Groundlings comedy troupe.
My own first experience with Pee-wee Herman was in Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie (1980), where he played a less-developed version of the character working in a hotel. He must have made an impression as he shows up in Nice Dreams (1981) only a year later. He’s sorry he took the money. He’s so sorry. He’s not sorry! This kind of exposure put him in a spotlight that still burns bright. “I meant to do that.”
On this very night… thirty-five years ago… on this same stretch of road… in a dense fog just like this… I saw the funniest movie I ever seen. There was this sound—like a garbage truck dropped off the Empire State Building, and when they finally pulled the projectionist’s body from the twisted, burning wreck… it looked like THIS!
If someone put all the movies made in the last thirty-five years into a pile and told you that you had to pick one hundred of them to have in a desert island collection, would you pick Pee-wee’s Big Adventure? Looking at several “Top 100 Movies of All Time” lists, I couldn’t find a single one with Pee-wee’s Big Adventure on it.
It should be on at least a few of those lists. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure brought a Wizard of Oz-level classic odyssey full of quirky characters to the MTV generation. It snowballed through the wall of cult status long ago, and it’s splattered through every generation since. Pee-wee has appeared often enough to confuse most people into believing he’s a real person playing himself, and that’s just how Paul Reubens likes it.
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How many movies are actually watchable after 35 years? Okay, 1985 was a pretty stellar year for movies and the birth of a bazillion classics. 1985 is so chock full of instant classics, and yet, somehow, this guy in a shrunken starched suit and bow tie is the grand marshal, leading a parade of genre masters behind him. Paul Reubens’ tenacity in getting the film made paid off. He donned his Pee-wee persona and upstaged all his A-List guests at the red carpet premiere, and to this day, his movie upstages almost anything from that year.
From the very beginning, we’re in a Breaking Away dream bicycle race that, of course, Pee-wee wins; but alas, it’s only a dream. Thus begins Herman’s day. His Rube Goldberg-inspired morning is visual coffee with extra caffeine. Danny Elfman’s soundtrack supplies a kitsch and pomp that’s too much fun to be creepy but still freaky enough to set the tone for the rest of the film. Elfman readily admits he owes his success to Pee-wee Herman, who personally chose Elfman to score the film.
Pee-wee’s Big Adventure was Paul Reubens’ opportunity to remind us all that even in the face of the real world, we should have fun. Someone steals your bike? Set out on a quest to make the world right (and rescue some animals every chance you get). The world is full of magic that needs to be observed, enjoyed, collected, and respected. Earlier this year, Paul Reuben set out on a tour that was meant to wrap at the 35th anniversary of the release of Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.
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He was developing it along the way, and every stop would be a different experience for him and his fans. Unfortunately, 2020 derailed a lot of our plans, and the tour was canceled. If you had a chance to take part, you’re one of the lucky ones. If you missed his cross-country memoir on wheels, you can still get a taste.
Pee-wee’s Big Adventure is streaming on HBO Max now. If you can’t find it there, check the basement at the Alamo. You’ll never find a more satisfying collection of characters.
