Tim Burton's directorial movie debut is a film for acquired tastes. I remember seeing it on television when I was around 5 years old in the 1980s and thinking it was very funny; time hasn't been kind to it since then, however. Pee-wee Herman feels like an American version of Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean, although nowhere near as funny.
Indeed, Paul Reubens gives such an over-the-top performance of constant mannerisms and tics - not to mention THAT laugh - that he becomes irritating after about, oh I don't know, five minutes. The resultant film, which follows a journey narrative as he goes on a nationwide hunt for his stolen bicycle, is therefore tiresome. For most of the running time I kept thinking about the various run-ins with the law that Reubens has had since, and for some reason I found THAT funnier than the supposed humour here.
PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE isn't a complete mess. Burton's direction feels assured and confident even at this early stage of his career and he certainly puts in a lot more effort here than he did in something like the CGI monstrosity that was ALICE IN WONDERLAND. There are also a handful of funny moments along the way, like the bar dance, although my favourite moment is the excellent homage to the Japanese Godzilla series. A shame the rest of the movie couldn't have followed suit.
Indeed, Paul Reubens gives such an over-the-top performance of constant mannerisms and tics - not to mention THAT laugh - that he becomes irritating after about, oh I don't know, five minutes. The resultant film, which follows a journey narrative as he goes on a nationwide hunt for his stolen bicycle, is therefore tiresome. For most of the running time I kept thinking about the various run-ins with the law that Reubens has had since, and for some reason I found THAT funnier than the supposed humour here.
PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE isn't a complete mess. Burton's direction feels assured and confident even at this early stage of his career and he certainly puts in a lot more effort here than he did in something like the CGI monstrosity that was ALICE IN WONDERLAND. There are also a handful of funny moments along the way, like the bar dance, although my favourite moment is the excellent homage to the Japanese Godzilla series. A shame the rest of the movie couldn't have followed suit.