Review of Pee-wee's Big Holiday (2016) by Fenny86 — 18 Mar 2016

As someone who loved Pee Wee's Big Adventure from three decades ago I expected that this movie wouldn't live up to its predecessor. However, I was pleased to see that no only was this movie beyond better than Big Top Pee Wee, it was also pretty funny and true to feel of the original movie.

The thing that really hurt the overall effect of the movie was Rueben's portrayal of the iconic Pee Wee Herman. At times it felt like Reuben's was trying to imitate a character, rather than be the character (which he created and animated for many years). The lack of a genuine delivery is vital for such an animated and unbelievable character to become believable.

The other critique I have was the casting and storyline centered around Joe Manganiello. It would have been more fun to have a 80's star cast. His character just feels very anachronistic and cheapened the quirky, psychedelic, and kitsch aesthetic.

With those two criticism aside, I enjoyed most other aspects of the movie. It was particularly nice to see Simone make a return to say Au Revoir one more time. The nostalgic music and cinematography were matched with a new quirky charters. We never do quite get those memorable moments like the Tequila Dance. I was also missing the claymation!

This movie was okay, which was a huge surprise, despite exceeding expectations there were many missed opportunities, but if you loved the original you will probably get a kick out of this one - the one time will be more than enough though.