This review originally appeared on the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation’s “Roll Film” movie review site (http://www.biketraffic.org/content.php?id=219_0_6_0). Each film was also reviewed by my CBF colleague, Greg Borzo, who focused more on the bike content.
PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE
3 Wheels
Surprisingly enough, I laughed out loud a few times while watching Pee-wee's Big Adventure and remained fairly amused throughout. I say "surprisingly" because Pee-wee Herman has never struck me as a particularly funny character. It's not that I find him horribly annoying in a Carrot Top kind of way. I've just never gotten into the whole Jerry Lewis man-child genre of humor.
What saves the Pee-wee character for me is that Paul Reubens does not play him as a clueless klutz. Instead he combines utterly juvenile behavior with an unbridled spirit of optimism. You don't pity Pee-wee for being a child trapped in an adult's body because he wouldn't have it any other way.
Intrigued by my enjoyment of this film, I checked out a couple episodes of his children's show, "Pee-wee's Playhouse." That didn't go quite as well. This shouldn't have surprised me because that show did not have the film's secret weapon, director Tim Burton.
Burton is revered among film buffs for his extreme use of Gothic set design and his affinity for misfit outsiders. Since Pee-wee's Big Adventure is his first film, audiences could not have known that it would fit in so appropriately with themes he would later develop. For instance, in my favorite Burton film, Ed Wood, Johnny Depp (in an extraordinary performance) plays the talentless cross-dressing director with an unbridled spirit of optimism and a single-minded obsession for making movies. Pee-wee Herman also has an obsession - to recover his stolen bicycle.
Pee-wee loves his bike as much as any movie character has ever loved an inanimate object. For all the bicycle films we've reviewed, I believe this is the first bike to have such a distinct look that you could recognize it on the street. A very funny sequence occurs shortly after the bike is stolen as increasingly ridiculous variations of bikes seemingly mock him as they pass.
The rest of the film follows Pee-wee as he searches for his beloved cycle, but Tim Burton is not content to make a predictable road comedy. This is the man who would create stylized universes for characters as demented as Beetlejuice, Batman and Willy Wonka. He gives Pee-wee a real playhouse filled with a bizarre supporting cast and sets far more creative than one would expect from a Pee-wee Herman movie.
Also in the overachiever category, we can't neglect the wild and inspired score from Danny Elfman. This soundtrack combines the anything goes antics of his former new-wave band, Oingo Boingo, with the more traditional soundtrack work he'd do for Burton and other directors. Once again, one would not think that a Pee-wee Herman movie would require a score this good, but throughout the film, Elfman's music brings a surprising level of force and conviction.
Pee-wee's Big Adventure was just a warm up for Tim Burton. He'd soon find a partner of more formidable talents in Johnny Depp. Their collaborations (especially Ed Wood and Sleepy Hollow) would make good on the creative potential only hinted at in this debut.
PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE
3 Wheels
Surprisingly enough, I laughed out loud a few times while watching Pee-wee's Big Adventure and remained fairly amused throughout. I say "surprisingly" because Pee-wee Herman has never struck me as a particularly funny character. It's not that I find him horribly annoying in a Carrot Top kind of way. I've just never gotten into the whole Jerry Lewis man-child genre of humor.
What saves the Pee-wee character for me is that Paul Reubens does not play him as a clueless klutz. Instead he combines utterly juvenile behavior with an unbridled spirit of optimism. You don't pity Pee-wee for being a child trapped in an adult's body because he wouldn't have it any other way.
Intrigued by my enjoyment of this film, I checked out a couple episodes of his children's show, "Pee-wee's Playhouse." That didn't go quite as well. This shouldn't have surprised me because that show did not have the film's secret weapon, director Tim Burton.
Burton is revered among film buffs for his extreme use of Gothic set design and his affinity for misfit outsiders. Since Pee-wee's Big Adventure is his first film, audiences could not have known that it would fit in so appropriately with themes he would later develop. For instance, in my favorite Burton film, Ed Wood, Johnny Depp (in an extraordinary performance) plays the talentless cross-dressing director with an unbridled spirit of optimism and a single-minded obsession for making movies. Pee-wee Herman also has an obsession - to recover his stolen bicycle.
Pee-wee loves his bike as much as any movie character has ever loved an inanimate object. For all the bicycle films we've reviewed, I believe this is the first bike to have such a distinct look that you could recognize it on the street. A very funny sequence occurs shortly after the bike is stolen as increasingly ridiculous variations of bikes seemingly mock him as they pass.
The rest of the film follows Pee-wee as he searches for his beloved cycle, but Tim Burton is not content to make a predictable road comedy. This is the man who would create stylized universes for characters as demented as Beetlejuice, Batman and Willy Wonka. He gives Pee-wee a real playhouse filled with a bizarre supporting cast and sets far more creative than one would expect from a Pee-wee Herman movie.
Also in the overachiever category, we can't neglect the wild and inspired score from Danny Elfman. This soundtrack combines the anything goes antics of his former new-wave band, Oingo Boingo, with the more traditional soundtrack work he'd do for Burton and other directors. Once again, one would not think that a Pee-wee Herman movie would require a score this good, but throughout the film, Elfman's music brings a surprising level of force and conviction.
Pee-wee's Big Adventure was just a warm up for Tim Burton. He'd soon find a partner of more formidable talents in Johnny Depp. Their collaborations (especially Ed Wood and Sleepy Hollow) would make good on the creative potential only hinted at in this debut.
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