Reconsidering "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure"

 

I think those who have been following my stuff for awhile may know this story, but just in case you don’t here it is. In 1985  this little movie came out and was a big hit. I don’t remember exactly why, but I went to see it with my father. And hated it. I can’t say for sure what it was exactly. Maybe because I didn’t have a clue who this Pee-Wee guy was. Maybe I just wasn’t used to the off the wall style (this was a Tim Burton movie long before Burton would become a household name). Whatever it was, I was not enjoying it. Then we got to the Large Marge scene. Long story short, this was the final straw (and if you don’t know why I’ll explain later). I walked out and to this day this is the only movie I have ever walked out of.

It’s ironic that a year later Pee-Wee’s Playhouse would come on the air, and I was a big fan of that show (not to mention the awesome Christmas special). But when I saw this movie, I had no clue who he was and was not into it. On a side note, I still remember going home and discovering the rest of my family watching an episode of Family Ties, and was even more bummed. Funny the things you remember.

 

But it is now thirty years later, and I have scene clips and heard enough about the movie that I decided it was time to finally revisit this after all these years. Was it bad? Or did I just miss something? And most importantly, did he ever get that damn bike back or not?!?! I decided it was time to finally watch this again as an adult. So I decided I would kind of run down the plot point and share my thought. And if by some chance you haven’t seen this 30 year old movie, spoilers.

So I started the movie, and it’s funny the little things that would later been Burton trademarks, like Danny Elfman’s music. The movie wastes no time establishing Pee-Wee and the bike, as he is in a bike race (or dreaming he is in a bike race). The real opening scene is Pee-Wee around his house, and it does help to know who the character is to make these scenes endearing. It’s about ten minutes in when the story gets going, establishing more about his love for his bike. If you don’t know the story, it really begins when the bike is stolen. And the search is on! After checking with the most likely suspect, who did take it and after Pee-Wee accosts the guy decides he doesn’t want it. Rather than return it to Pee-Wee he tells the guy actually who stole it get rid of it. The adventure takes him into very odd situations such as:

The psychic who tell him the bike is in the basement of the Alamo. This was the other scene I always remembered, for some reason, and it’s clear to the audience she is a fraud but sadly Pee-Wee believes her and starts on his foolish quest.

Trying to get to Texas he hitches a couple rides. First is with an escaped convict running from the cops. I do like they didn’t make Pee-Wee so stupid he didn’t realize the guy had handcuff’s and what that meant. Other movies would have. After Pee-Wee helps the guy evade the cops by dressing as a woman, he almost crashed the car (I can’t possibly describe what happens) and is tossed out.  And the next to pick up Pee-Wee….is Large Marge. So let’s talk about this.

Large Marge is an old lady truck driver. And as she drives, she tells a story about a horrible wreck. Turns out later that it was her wreck, and Pee-Wee was in fact talking with her ghost. But as she tells the story, she gets to the part about what it looked like when they pulled her body from the wrecked. And suddenly she makes the very bizarre face that just comes out of nowhere. If you don’t know or haven’t seen it, check it out. It’s so random, and I get why that may have scared me a bit. After all, Nostalgia Critic put it on his Top 11 Scariest Nostalgic Moments!

So what did I miss after that? Pee-Wee eats at a diner but has to clean dishes when he has no wallet. There he meets up with the waitress, Simone. They end up spending some time together. Of course she has a jealous ex or whatever who doesn’t like the two spending time together. Yeah, predictable hi jinks which lead Pee-Wee onto a train where he meets Hobo Jack. Which is pretty pointless. Then he finally makes it to San Antonio only to discover that The Alamo has no basement.

Pee-Wee feels all hope is lost when he runs into Simone again. Simone encourages him to keep looking, when her ex re-appears to attack Pee-Wee and have more hi jinks. It was boring the first time and it’s real boring the second time. Though it is a nice look at San Antonio. Anyway, the fight ends up at a rodeo where, long story short, Pee-Wee ends up with a concussion. Then he enters a biker bar where, well, more hi jinks. Pee-Wee dancing is kind of a high point in the movie, can’t deny it. After which he takes a motorcycle…and crashes it into a sign. After an odd (and clearly Burton-esque) dream involving clown doctors, Pee-Wee figures out is bike has been sent to Warner Bros Studios.

The final set piece is basically a tour of the backlot at Warner Bros. He finds his bike, gets chased through the studio, rescues some pets from a burning store, and finally the studio head decides to make a movie about Pee-Wee’s story. At the premiere we see Pee-Wee encounter all the people he met in his journey, and the very odd movie within a movie starring..James Brolin and Morgan Fairchild? Getting attacked by ninjas? Sure.

So what did I think? Man is this movie a product of the 80’s. Mr.T cereal? But I gotta admit it. I’m kind of surprised I walked out to be honest. I wouldn’t have just walked out because of the Large Marge scene, after all I sat through the ear scene in Wrath of Khan, so I have to wonder…what was my problem? The movie isn’t great but it was basically harmless. Pee-Wee is not obnoxiously stupid or gross or annoying. I guess it was what I said, a style and character I didn’t know. Yeah the story is flimsy and some of it is boring, and in the tradition of a slapstick comedy none of the scenes pay off. For instance Pee-Wee gets a concussion…and it’s forgotten about the next scene. After the motorcycle crash he lands in the hospital…which leads to nothing (except him finding the bike on a TV). Even Large Marge is forgotten after it’s revealed she was a ghost. What was the point of that then? But the characters are memorable and I get why it is a cult classic and why it made Pee-Wee famous. Though I wish we got more character development out of Pee-Wee, except for anger after the bike is stolen we never see any other sides to him. The movie does try to make him a better person by the end of his journey so that is a true plus, the character does grow during his journey.

I guess I just didn’t know what I was in here for, maybe this is why I now read everything about a movie before I see it? Well, there was the RoboCop incident too but I ain’t sitting through that one again!  As for this, It isn’t great and it will never be one of my all time favorites but I’m glad I can finally say that yes I have seen the whole movie through. And yes I now get the jokes I never caught before in others videos. And yes, he does get the bike back! It is funny how age can change how you see things.

I probably should talk about Pee-Wee’s Playhouse…maybe another time.