Review of Pee-wee's Big Holiday (2016) by Jamess — 21 Mar 2016

First off, it's good to have Paul Reubens and his creation Pee Wee Herman back. Pee Wee's Big Holiday is almost a reboot of Tim Burton's Big Adventure as it's basically another road trip and the characters Pee Wee crosses paths with.

It opens with a dream sequence (after an opening where I swear Mark Mothersbaugh was channeling James Horner's Star Trek 2 score) featuring an alien that looks a lot like the rubber puppet from Mac and Me.

Pee Wee loves the town he lives and works in, but, as his dream reveals, he secretly wishes to leave. Pee Wee's morning ritual is as Rube Goldberg as the original, but is expanded to include his neighbors and neighborhood.

And everyone loves Pee Wee. That's the secret to the characters charm. As juvenile as he can become, there's a sweetness to the character that everyone can love. And Joe Manganiello, playing himself, bonds with Pee Wee (who murders his name as Joe Manga-blah-blello) after sharing a love of root beer barrel candy and appreciating Pee Wee's innocence.

He invites Pee Wee to his New York birthday bash, and the road trip is off. On the way he meets a female trio of bank robbers right out of a Russ Meyer movie, an Amish village, a farmer with a bevy of daughters, and more.

I would deduct this by a point or two because it so much like the original and some jokes go on a bit long, but just seeing Paul Reubens looking like he stepped out of a late eighties time machine is reason for a positive review.