Pee-wee's Big Holiday

A fateful meeting with a mysterious stranger inspires Pee-wee Herman to take his first-ever holiday in this epic story of friendship and destiny.

This movie is not going to knock your socks off, and it never quite reaches the level of "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure", but it is still a fun movie with plenty of interesting characters and situations. If this film is as successful as it seems to be (the reviews are generally positive), I hope they get another one going soon. With Judd Apatow and Paul Rust on board, Pee-Wee is back! I did find it interesting that they kept the celebrity factor rather low. With the names attached, they could have had an endless stream of celebrity cameos, but it was minor. More or less, it was a string of actors who are better known for their faces than their names. (Many times throughout the film I had to look up different actors to make the connection, such as Farmer Brown being the same actor who played Ted's father in "Bill and Ted".)

I really didn't have high expectations for this but I found myself enjoying it. At first I was put off by the heavy makeup on Paul Reubens to try and hide his age, plus the sad reality that Reubens can no longer do the distinctive Pee Wee voice quite right. So, the first few minutes into this I was doubtful I would be able to finish it. But gradually I began to look past those things because it's funny and charming with a delightfully corny approach that reminded me of the older movies and the TV series. Not every gag works but I think most of them are at least worth a chuckle. There's a very simple but effective gag involving a balloon at one point that had me in stitches. In an age where every stand-up comic uses trite observational humor and every comedy film seems to rely on dick jokes, it's refreshing to see something prove "old school" humor still works. Once you get past the creepy makeup and the voice, it's a fun movie. Sure it's mostly an exercise in nostalgia for those of us who grew up watching Pee Wee but I don't really think that's a negative.

After a number of years of silence, actor Paul Reubens brought back his Pee-wee Herman character for this Netflix exclusive movie. You might think that during all those years of keeping his iconic character out of the limelight, Reubens would have come up with a storyline for a new movie that would be more original, but that's not really the case. This movie's story feels VERY much like the 1985 movie "Pee-wee's Big Adventure", with a number of individual scenes and moments having a strong deja-vu feeling. Even the titles of the two movies have a strong similarity! But I guess what really matters is whether this new movie is funny or not. Well, it moves along at a brisk pace, it's never dull, and there are some genuinely amusing moments here and there, some coming close to the old Pee-wee magic. But quite often the gags feel like weak humor cut out of the script from the 1985 movie. I think another reason why the movie is not as funny as it should be is that director John Lee is no Tim Burton, though in fairness he was working with a somewhat limited budget. I will give the movie this, however: It's better than "Big Top Pee-wee".

Pee-Wee's Big Holiday is bizarre and ridiculous. However, if you're a fan of the old Pee-Wee movies, you'll probably enjoy this one. Paul Reubens is noticeably older, but it still feels like the same old Pee-Wee Herman. This movie didn't make me laugh out loud, but it did make me smile a few times.

If you wondered what a Pee-Wee movie would be like 30 years after his heyday, the answer is pretty much exactly the same, which is perfect. Pee-Wee still exists in this surreal 1950s alternate reality that feels as fresh today as it did in the 80s.

Pee-Wee Herman has never left the small town of Fairville, but after meeting actor Joe Manganiello (playing himself in a hilarious self aware performance), he's convinced to head East on a journey to New York for Joe's birthday party. Along the way he meets an assortment of colorful characters that help break him out of his sheltered existence.

The makeup department deserves an Emmy or Oscar (or whatever awards Netflix movies qualify for) for the job they did to Paul Reubens. The man is 63, and in real life, looks about his age. But in this film he only looks slightly older than he did back in the 80s. His voice has gotten a little bit raspier, but that's to be expected. Reubens himself is back in character, fully committed (surprisingly he hasn't been yet), and giving it his all.

The supporting cast is also consistently wonderful. Similar to any other Pee-Wee Herman project, almost all the characters, whether they're harboring deep secrets or not, smile and wave, giving off that 50s Leave it to Beaver "everything is great" attitude. Every performance is over the top, but they're all perfect. Diane Salinger from Big Adventure returns, this time playing a kooky pilot, and she gives it her all in a manic and memorable cameo. Character actor Hal Landon Jr. is similarly insane as a farmer that is simultaneously sheltering his nine daughters and trying to marry them off to strangers.

The biggest fault in the film is that it feels somewhat disconnected. The locations Pee-Wee ends up in are all amusing, but at times it just seems like a series of scenes not really leading to Pee-Wee's final goal. On the plus side, at times when the plot seems to really be getting lost, Pee-Wee mentions again where he's going, and how far he has to go bringing it back on track. In general, the journey to Joe's party and to find himself, is not as compelling as Pee- Wee's journey to find his bike. It would be much easier not to compare Big Adventure and Big Holiday, if they hadn't clearly modeled the latter on the former.

Kids will enjoy it for it's over the top cartoonish qualities, and the adult Pee-Wee fans will enjoy the exact same thing, in addition to all the ironic winks at the audience that the kids don't notice. If you're a fan of Pee-Wee Herman at all, then this will be a treat for you. It looks to the first feature film for guidance, but Holiday is it's own unique movie, full of the typical quirky charms you would expect from Paul Reubens. The best moments here don't equal the fun climax of Big Adventure, but it's still consistently amusing, never boring, and at times laugh out loud funny. And it's a heck of a lot more charming than Big Top Pee-Wee.

My rating: *** out of ****. Contains mild language and some mild sexual innuendos.