Pee-wee's Big Adventure

Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)

  • 92% of critics liked it
    (38 reviews)

  • 66% of users liked it
    (103,997 ratings)

Co-written by Paul Reubens and Phil Hartman, Pee Wee's Big Adventure marks the debut of director Tim Burton, who stamps the entire film with his quirky trademark style. The premise: Pee Wee (Reubens), an overgrown pre-pubescent boy sporting a molded Princeton cut, blush, lipstick, and a shrunken… More

Play Trailer

PG,
Directed By
Written By
Phil Hartman, Paul Reubens
Genres
Comedy, Kids & Family
In Theaters
Jul 26, 1985 Wide
Warner Home Video

Critic Reviews

  • Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

    Reubens always lets us feel superior to his creation, and when his character slips, as it does more than once in this first feature outing, his own condescension shows through.

  • , TIME Magazine

    Fair warning: this movie could induce terminal boredom in adults and rot the minds of the young.

  • Variety Staff, Variety

    Children should love the film and adults will be dismayed by the light brushstrokes with which Paul Reubens (one of three credited screenwriters, but star-billed under his stage name, Pee-wee Herman) suggests touches of Buster Keaton and Eddie Cantor.

  • , Time Out

    Fed by comic tributaries perhaps, but Pee-Wee Herman comes over as a delightful original.

  • Vincent Canby, New York Times

    You have been warned.

Read all 17 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Thomas B


    Often too juvenile to bear, but for the other moments it's mostly just pure, exuberant fun. Full review later.

  • KJ P


    Tim Burton's "Peewee's Big Adventure" is arguably scarier than it is funny, blending the darkness and lightness together, and I absolutely loved that contrast. The odd visuals and the bubbly soundtrack make this film a joy to watch, even though sometimes it forgets… More

  • Eric S


    The start of Tim Burton's great directing career. "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" is odd, funny, and entertaining. So many iconic moments, from the Alamo to Large Marge to Pee-wee's trek through Hollywood. I also love how Danny Elfman's score perfectly syncs to… More

  • Chris W


    In three words: manic goofy weirdness. This marked Tim Burton's directorial debut, and, not only was it a big breakthrough for him, but a big stepping stone for co-writer and star Paul Reubens (credited as Pee-wee Herman) and composer Danny Elfman. The story follows the… More

  • Michael E


    One of my earliest memories of childhood is when my sisters told me to come in to check something out when they were watching this movie with me having no context to the film. Pee Wee was in a truck with an old lady and then she goes "it looked like THIS" BLAAAAHAHHAHAHAHa!… More

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

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Cast

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