Pee-wee's Big Adventure 1985

"Pee Wee's Big Adventure" is a marvelous trip across America with man-child Pee Wee who finds fame and adventure (and his bike) along the way. It's not a buddy picture because Pee Wee is a loner a rebel. He finds many friends on his quest but he's got little time for real relationships. They get in the way of his pleasure which in this case is his priceless super-bike. Pee Wee is a funny character. His behavior is that of a kid but when he's in a tight situation he is a cunning trickster who manipulates to find solutions. That's the appeal of Pee Wee. His life is a party the life of a child. But he's got the cunning and smarts of an adult which he uses to free himself of society's expected adult behavior. Now that I'm done psychoanalyzing him Pee Wee is one funny guy. My favorite scenes are the legendary "Tequila" dance scene where he wins the approval of a bike gang and the opening scene where Pee Wee wakes up and starts his day in his incredible dream house. Tim Burton makes his full feature film debut here and shines particularly during the dream and nightmare sequences. Seeing this again solidifies it as one of my favorite comedies.

This is the stuff cult classics are made of, the kind of film that's so offbeat, unexpected, kitschy and contentedly niche-inhabiting that you can't help but wonder how a major studio ever gave it the green light. Paul Reubens lives and breathes this role, (literally - he's credited for the role of Pee-Wee as "himself") and he couldn't have asked for a better partner than the similarly quirky, fringe-dwelling director Tim Burton (in his first major picture).

Reubens is genuinely larger-than-life in this loose collection of vignettes and skits, and the whole mess is tied together with all the care and subtlety of a spaceship made of duct tape and cardboard. Even when he's not making a direct footprint on the screen, Pee-Wee's influence is positively oozing out of each frame, coating everything from the scenery to the wardrobe to the manic, impulsive style of shooting. It's a perfect interpretation of the character's famous stage show, an ideal introduction for the unfamiliar masses, and a natural launchpad to super-stardom.

I'll grant that it's not for everyone, but for those of us with an appreciation for drag queens, John Waters, the B-52's and sixties housewife chic, it's a direct hit. It's that rare crossroads where unbridled mayhem, conscience-free good times and hysterical laughter collide in a loud, twisted, dirty ball of pandemonium. I think it's safe to say this will never be replicated, and I'm both overjoyed and deflated to realize it.