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

Pee Wee's back! As a fan who grew up with Pee Wee's Playhouse and the Burton film, I was excited (and apprehensive) about how Netflix's latest revival of an 80's staple would come out. The result: maybe not an.

All-time classic, but consistently charming and a must-see for fans of the character.

Reubens still looks the part amazingly well given the amount of time that's gone by, to the point where you can largely ignore if not completely fail to notice his age. The movie largely disregards his past incarnations, more or less treating things as if we're meeting him for the first time, though a few sly, understated references to Pee Wee's Big Adventure are thrown in. If time has changed anything it's that the trademark shrillness in Pee Wee's voice has smoothed out with age, and has generally dropped by a register. And while he does less shouting this time around, he's still got that unnerving ability to deliver a venemous pause with eyes narrowed, or wicked one-liners muttered under his breath, especially in the first act before the film starts to give most of the jokes to the supporting characters, most of whom come and go pretty quickly. Whether individual bits land or not will depend on the viewer. The cast does exhibit one of the things Pee Wee's Playhouse was known for: an effortless inclusivity of any and all genders, types, and oddballs without being preachy or showy about it.

Manganiello (playing himself) is a delightfully inspired casting choice as Pee Wee's bro-crush. His Hollywood uber-man look and deadpan delivery perfectly capture the sort of kitschy oddity Pee Wee's universe abounds in. He arguably steals the show when he's around through sheer juxtaposition against Pee Wee.

Still, it's mildly disappointing that the writers play things so safe, more or less recreating the road trip scenario from Big Adventure. Even as a re-tread, the premise this time rings off: if there was ever a character who seemed willing and enthusiastic about experiencing things and "living a little" as Mangiello inspires him to do here, it's Pee Wee Herman! Having him play a relative introvert here is odd, and it robs him of a lot of his manic energy; instead, he spends most of the movie mildly anxious and oddly passive. Part of Pee-Wee's charm was how if there was a cage that needed to be rattled or a lesson about being yourself to be learned, HE was the one that pushed it (if inadvertently). It all feels a bit un-surreal, which is too bad given that his fans have always loved Pee Wee for cleverly pushing the envelope.

While it would have been fun to see Pee Wee in a more novel situation, the film gets credit for not devolving into a parade of self-references, as sequels and reboots in comedy so often do. This won't end up on a lot of all-time favourites lists, but you'll probably find few fans of the character who won't find it passably charming and an overall welcome comeback. I'd expect a lot of 6's and 7's in these reviews.