Review of Pee-wee's Big Holiday (2016) by Dave C — 22 Mar 2016

Very mixed feelings about this follow up to Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. Even though it follows the essential flow and plot of it's predecessor (which becomes obvious from the opening morning sequence), it feels more like a re-interpretation than a follow up or nod to Burton's quirky classic. In some sense this actually works, as the character of Pee-Wee seems to be able to exist in his own wacky world without the need of a back story or much context. But there is a bit of tension in figuring out where the nostalgia ends and the personal re-invention begins.

There are moments where Lee finds his own niche in the Pee-Wee universe. But even as the bizarre yet oddly captivating nature of his world remains intact, there are too many moments where the writing just seems to fall a bit short of the larger aspirations. Watching "Big Adventure" again as an adult actually has the effect of heightening the experience, as it illuminates the more mature intelligence of the script which I didn't necessarily catch as a young kid. It is actually a brilliantly done film. On this level, "Big Holiday" is not in the same category.

I have no idea if this is even a thing, but I will go ahead and say it anyways. It feels like a made for Netflix special rather than a genuine film. It cuts corners at points, and then scores at another. It feels fully invested on one turn, but lazy at the next. Some of the jokes come from the bottom of the barrel, while some of the sequences are unique and inspired (I loved the Amish scene in particular, and the brief scene in the car-plane is memorable). And as stilly as it sounds, the budgeted effects are unapologetically cheap and comic, where-as Big Adventure actually took it's bizarre world and made it feel a part of reality.

The beauty of "Big Adventure" was that it took the insanity of the Playhouse universe and turned it in to a genuine drama. Here the central drama just feels overtop. The early scenes with Reuben at the diner do have some emotional resonance as he battles with complacency and identity. And the initial relationship Manganiello definitely works. But the relationship (between a nobody and a somebody who simply desire true and lasting friendship) quickly becomes a part of the running joke (that what draws Manganiello to bond with Herman is that Herman doesn't actually know who he is), and by the time we get to the end what is supposed to be the heart of the film feels a bit old and overdone.

Along the way the "Big Holiday" introduces us to a number of characters, some that intentionally push the boundaries between the kid-adult dynamic, others that are just strange, and some that are genuinely comic. To this end it is not without it's moments, just that it feels less than it could have been.