In this new Pee-Wee feature presentation, Herman trades in his one-of-a-kind bicycle for a gas fueled automobile to trek across country.Twenty-six years after the cancellation of his popular daytime kids television show, Paul Reubens returns to the role that brought him prominence among the pop culture masses. Pee-Wee Herman (Paul Reubens) lives in a care-free existence surrounded by his wacky gadget-filled house. It’s a land of imagination, inhabited by the biggest man-child around. While working his day job at the local diner, Pee-Wee meets and strikes up a conversation with a slick stranger (Joe Manganello). With some reflections back on his own life, Pee-Wee sets out on a cross-country vacational journey full of colorful characters and hijinks that inspires plenty of life lessons for the viewer at home. While on the road, Pee-Wee realizes that home really is where the heart is, and he invests everything he has to get back to the place he misses most. “Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday” is written by Reubens, but directed by “Wonder Showzen” creator John Lee. The film is currently premiering on Netflix, and is rated PG for minor mature content.
When Netflix announced that they would be adding another installment to yet another childhood favorite, I balked a little at the idea. It was just recently that the painful “Fuller House” debuted, so needless to say my expectations were fairly low. Thankfully, I became pleasantly surprised when I watched “Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday”, as it is a respectable breath of imaginative fresh air. Paul Reubens still captivates the attention of a new generation of children searching for proof that anything is possible. Through one crazy adventure after another, Pee-Wee brings his hypnotizing blend of original comedic personality, combined with childlike innocence that makes this latest update a welcome addition to the legacy of the Pee-Wee name.
At just 90 minutes, the film never overstays its welcome with repitition in jokes or overabundance in borrowing too much material from previous installments like “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure” or “Big Top Pee-Wee”. The film stands on its own legs by offering the viewer a fresh take on a brand new adventure with an introduction to plenty of cooky characters along the way. The movie did start off a little slow for me, but I blame that on being without this character for over 25 years. There really is a certain state of mind that you have to be in to enjoy Pee-Wee’s unusual schtick, but about halfway in, I lovingly endulged in Pee-Wee’s interraction with the outsiders of his hometown, the picture perffect Fairville. What’s genius about Lee’s presentation combined with Reubens writing is that they both have this capability to make you suspend disbelief no matter how crazy the gag. The material isn’t anything that had me overwhelmingly laughing, but there is enough cutesy and clever material here to give even the oldest viewer a few creative chuckles. Some jokes do go on for a little too long, but that is probably the biggest critique I have for this film. It is truly engaging.
Reubens triumphs again as this man-child character who he has made a career out of. One of the reasons why Pee-Wee Herman was my childhood idol growing up is because he always treated children with respect, while offering an educational view about the world that you couldn’t find anywhere else for the time. The voice has changed a little with age, but the wardrobe and manneurism are very much reflective of this character being a part of Reubens for the rest of his life. In Herman, he created a character bigger than himself, so it’s a welcome comeback for a character tossed out like a dirty secret in the early 90’s. Joe Manganello is perfect as Pee-Wee’s new best friend. The film’s focus on their friendship instead of one with a female love interest is what has always made Pee-Wee more relatable to a child’s views at that particular time in their lives. Joe finally gets that opportunity to showcase a personality to match the kind of charasmatic cool he executes in films like “Magic Mike” and “Sabotage”. Their friendship in the film serves as the biggest goal for Pee-Wee to attain, and I greatly enjoyed many silly dream sequences that involved the two having fun in slow motion and speaking in spanish dialogue (Don’t ask).
Besides Joe, the film offers more than enough celebrity cameos hidden under props and makeup to give the film that big movie feel. Allia Shawkat, Stephanie Beatriz and David Arquette are just a few of the characters who Pee-Wee bumps into going across America. It’s sort of breaking the third wall seeing this character interact with these celebrities who are famous in 2016. Kind of one of those once in a lifetime opportunties that transcends generations.
Overall, “Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday” is a surprisingly well written addition to the Pee-Wee library. While it doesn’t quite capture the big budgeted feel or direction of “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure”, it does more than triumph the awfully dull “Big Top Pee-Wee” that didn’t even know its main character. Most of the nostalgia factor still remains the same in a colorful world where anything is possible. Thank you Pee-Wee for teaching us to fly with our minds again.
7/10