Pee Wee’s Big Adventure
When we’re kids, there’s a
part of us that wishes we never had to grow up. We may like to be in a hurry to
be a grown up, so we can do what we want, where and when we want to, break out
of school, break free from our parents, from rules, and all those other
boundaries and limitations that are placed on us as kids. But then again, there
is something special about being a kid; you can get away with a lot. You can
have all your toys and no one asks you why. You can express yourself in anyway
you want to. Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could have the body of an adult, but
still act like a kid? That’s where the idea for Pee Wee Herman came from.
But first, who is Pee Wee
Herman. Or rather, what is Pee Wee Herman? He is a man that
has put the most creative, inventive and playful thoughts into everything about
everything in his life. His house is a zany playground, where any toy you can
imagine is there, and instead of just sitting there waiting to be played with,
each toy actually serves a purpose. Watching this guy make breakfast is an
event on its own. It cooks itself while he goes off and brushes his teeth. When
he returns, a plate of bacon, eggs and pancakes is waiting for him. Ever wanted
to top that off with some cereal? Pee Wee does. Want to have a bunch of
inventions make the smallest, most pointless task look like an outrageous game?
Pee Wee can. He lives for fun and everything he does is fun. There is never a
dull moment in his unusual life, and that’s mainly what appealed to me so much
as a kid. Life should be fun. Enjoyment should be found in the smallest things.
If you can turn something boring into a game, why wouldn’t you? If you can rig
up your house to be an insane experiment of machines and inventions consisting
of toys that do all your chores, you would jump at that chance. But, since the
majority of us wouldn’t even know where to start, you can just sit back and
watch Pee Wee Herman do it, as he has mastered the art of being playful.
Surely, Pee Wee Herman is
one of the most original move characters ever concieved, and his debut movie
“Pee Wee’s Big Adventure” is one of the most creative kids movies ever made.
Purely for the fact that it’s about a guy who goes looking for his bike when
it’s taken from him. That’s the plot more or less, but it’s the character and
how he’s portrayed, perfectly by actor Paul Reuben’s. And the crazy adventure
he goes on in search of his beloved bicycle.
The dilemma begins after
Pee Wee rides his bike into town, to visit the magic shop where he stocks up on
new supplies; as if he didn’t have enough at home, but anyway. He then hops
next door to pick up his brand new and upgraded horn for his bicycle. Upon
exiting, Pee Wee is shocked to discover his beloved bike has been stolen. From
the middle of the shopping mall, where it was wrapped in chains and
impenetrable to even the best thief, someone has taken it. From here, Pee Wee
launches his one man crusade across America to get back his beloved bicycle.
What follows isn’t so much
a story, but more a collection of moments and scenes that are just purely fun
and very entertaining. Most of us can decide whether we are a Pee Wee Herman
fan or not very quickly. Ten minutes into watching the film, you will quickly
decide whether you like him or hate him. If he annoys you so early into the
film, you won’t enjoy the rest of it, because it’s essentially one scene after
another of Pee Wee being, well, Pee Wee. But if his humour and antics are your
thing, you will lap it up. Pee Wee Herman can join the ranks of cinemas most
oddball and original characters, portrayed by actors who seemed born to play
the part. In the 90’s it was Ace Ventura. In the 00’s, it was Borat. The
characters themselves are the attraction of the movie, not the story. And put these
characters into any situation, and hilarity will ensue. That’s how this film
rolls along for its 90 minutes or so.
As Pee Wee gets way off
track in the search for his bike, he will run into just about every type of
character you could imagine meeting on the road, and what could just be a brief
encounter with not much else to warrant it as interesting, becomes an episode
of laughs in itself. Each scene is very well thought out in every single
regard, and visualised beautifully and with plenty of colour on screen by
director Tim Burton. This was his feature film as director, and it really gives
a good indication as to what would follow in his career; choosing to direct
films about unusual characters that inhabit their own unique world, and taking
you on a journey with them that is strange, amazing and completely
different.
Watching Pee Wee again
after so many years was real fun, and I had forgotten how funny it actually
was. Paul Reuben’s never did anything as good as Pee Wee, and it’s the
character he has always been known for and always will be. He channels a
performance that really does come from another plane of existence all together.
He doesn’t just play the part; he lives it. I’m sure much of the film consisted
of improvisation by the actor, who was probably just let loose on set in most
of his scenes to let the character take off and get carried away. Like I said
earlier, you will either like him or you won’t. Whether you’re a lover or a
hater, there’s no denying there is a certain appeal to the character of Pee Wee
Herman. His life is simple; he lives for his bike. But how he lives his life is
far from ordinary. Throw him into any normal situation, and he will elevate it
to a crazy level of preposterous behaviour, childlike curiosity, innocence and an
energy that seems to just burst out of him and never run out.
Watching Pee Wee in his
debut film is certainly an experience. It’s not like any other movie I can
think of, and holds a special place in the “Movies of my Childhood” list. When
I watch it as a kid, I wished I had a bike as cool as Pee Wees. I wish my house
had just half of the toys and inventions he does. I wished I could have gone
off on a Big Adventure like him, where every place and person you meet becomes
a memorable occasion. And of course, the stand out scene in the film, where Pee
Wee tracks his bike down to a Hollywood film studio, steals it from a set then
rides it through the whole studio while the security guards chase him, was just
awesome. He casually rides through a bunch of movies being made, and skilfully
avoids capture with his collection of gadgets and nifty tricks all built into
his bike. He emerges triumphant, and in the end, the studio decides to make a
movie about him and his adventure. His story was one so unbelievable it could
only be believed as a movie, so the movie about his story becomes a movie, and
we watch Pee Wee watch his movie on screen, and get reminded that stuff like
this only happens in the movies; magic, mayhem, adventure and invention.
Pee Wee‘s Big Adventure is
an adventure of a viewing experience. Having just watched it again recently to
write this review was like coming full circle in a way, as it instantly
connected me to that time in childhood where all you want to do, and have to do
really, is live in your own little world of fun, games and imagination. Being
an adult now, I can’t go there as such, but I can relive it with Pee Wee. Good
fun!
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