Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985)
You don’t wanna get mixed up with a guy like me. I’m a loner, Dottie. A rebel.
THE SUMMARY: A strange man-child gets his one-of-a-kind custom bike swiped by another strange man child and goes on an absurdist cross-country quest to recover it, ultimately getting his journey made into its own feature film. At the start, I thought I was in for another one-Wicky torture session with Pee-wee’s annoying ‘huh-huh’ chuckle every five seconds, but as more characters were introduced and the film’s humor style developed, I found enough to enjoy to consider the movie passable.
THE BEST:
This probably actually did scare a few kids - it took me by surprise.
Absurdist humor and over-the-top dramatic effect: I am a big fan of absurdist humor, as well as ironic dramatization - the classic ‘dun dun dunnnnnnn’ type stuff. This movie does that fairly well, though perhaps not consistently, with scenes like the ride with Large Marge, the ending bike chase, and Pee-wee’s crime scene breakdown with the group of neighborhood investigators. The musical score was well done and added to those effects.
Decent writing: Some of the early writing I thought was outright terrible (see the ‘I know you are but what am I’ scene with Francis), but as the movie developed, some decent writing emerged. The ‘big but’ dialogue with Simone was clever and funny, as was the line about only remembering the Alamo after getting knocked out at the rodeo.
The movie within the movie is better: Is it wrong to say that the movie made within the movie is actually the better movie? Pee-wee remade as a hyper-masculine James Bond-type character who will never settle, even for a bombshell blonde, was hilarious. You could argue that makes this movie either good or bad, I suppose, but the movie within the movie is still technically part of the movie, and the comedy only works if you get the premise of the original Pee-wee. It was exactly the sort of twist I needed to save Pee-wee from the perils of a one or two-Wicky fate.
Another iconic movie line now known: I’ve heard the line many times, but like most iconic movie references, I didn’t actually know its origin. ‘I’m a loner, Dottie. A rebel.’ Who delivered it better, Pee-wee Herman or P.W. Herman?
Sorry for the boomer tech. Recording on my phone was the only way I could get around iron-fisted copyright restrictions.
THE WORST:
On his own, Pee-wee is extremely annoying: Pee-wee is obviously a love-him-or-hate-him type character. To me, his mannerisms were borderline insufferable on his own, and his house looks like it probably has a colorful secret dungeon of kids. But when he interacts with other characters, he can be funny and charming. In the opening scene with Pee-wee alone at home, I wanted to strangle the guy so he would shut up and quit that chuckle.
I’d rather surrender to ISIS custody than listen to that laugh one more time. Huh-huh!
But by the end, at the showing of his movie where he’s catching up with all the characters he met on his journey, there’s enough entertainment in his interaction with others to make it watchable, and yes, even enjoyable.
Obvious logical holes: There is no way that a convertible topper could function properly as a parachute for a car. And how did somebody successfully cut through Pee-wee’s pile of chains for a bike lock without leaving any evidence or witnesses? And how did Pee-wee’s incidental train hop just so happen to lead him straight to the Alamo? It’s a coincidence far too convenient to be believed! Just kidding, of course. If you try to overthink this movie, you’re the idiot, not the director or producers. Huh-huh!
THE RATING: 3/5 Wickies. Extremely annoying to start, strong finish. This isn’t an apathetic 3 rating. It’s that there are things I love about this movie, but other things I hate, and they evenly cancel each other out. A reasonably enjoyable movie, but not one I’d watch again.
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