What a massive disappointment "Pee-Wee's Big Holiday" has turned out to be. Paul Reubens' man-child creation should have stayed in the 80s and kept it's beloved status and reputation intact. It's a sad thing to realize that Reubens insisted on dragging his idiot boy out of the past and shoved him back into public view. "Big Holiday" is really "Big Bore".
A thin and very poor reboot of "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" (1985), this new movie crawls along at a snail's pace while attempting to emulate the frantic quality of the first film, but without the genius of Tim Burton to direct the lunatic odyssey. There's absolutely no sparkle here, although this new adventure tries to be lively and effervescent. Ninety-nine per cent of the jokes fall flat. The characters aren't drawn well, and who can really believe that Pee-Wee instantaneously bonds with musclebound Joe Manganiello? There's a weird subtext here that pretty much sums up "bromance". A number of vignettes on display are instantly forgettable, such as the business with the farmer's daughters. The squealing balloon sequence goes on too long, and it wasn't funny. It was nothing but filler and is more annoying than anything. Where was Large Marge when you really needed her? Not a damn thing in this shabby attempt to get some last mileage out of the man-child Reubens created is memorable.
Paul Reubens is too old for this. He often appears wax-like and spackled to death. There's years of bloat that neither the camera or CG can remove. He appears to be going through the motions with no trace of his original maniac energy. That being said, simply compare the biker bar sequence from "Big Adventure" where Pee-Wee rocks those ridiculous white platform shoes in a bartop dance to the Champs' classic "Tequila". Not one moment in "Big Holiday" can compare. Perhaps it's time to let Pee-Wee go. This viewer only found the whole movie sad and tired. I'd like to remember Pee-Wee in his prime, not this obvious attempt to wring one last dollar out of a truly iconic creation.
A thin and very poor reboot of "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" (1985), this new movie crawls along at a snail's pace while attempting to emulate the frantic quality of the first film, but without the genius of Tim Burton to direct the lunatic odyssey. There's absolutely no sparkle here, although this new adventure tries to be lively and effervescent. Ninety-nine per cent of the jokes fall flat. The characters aren't drawn well, and who can really believe that Pee-Wee instantaneously bonds with musclebound Joe Manganiello? There's a weird subtext here that pretty much sums up "bromance". A number of vignettes on display are instantly forgettable, such as the business with the farmer's daughters. The squealing balloon sequence goes on too long, and it wasn't funny. It was nothing but filler and is more annoying than anything. Where was Large Marge when you really needed her? Not a damn thing in this shabby attempt to get some last mileage out of the man-child Reubens created is memorable.
Paul Reubens is too old for this. He often appears wax-like and spackled to death. There's years of bloat that neither the camera or CG can remove. He appears to be going through the motions with no trace of his original maniac energy. That being said, simply compare the biker bar sequence from "Big Adventure" where Pee-Wee rocks those ridiculous white platform shoes in a bartop dance to the Champs' classic "Tequila". Not one moment in "Big Holiday" can compare. Perhaps it's time to let Pee-Wee go. This viewer only found the whole movie sad and tired. I'd like to remember Pee-Wee in his prime, not this obvious attempt to wring one last dollar out of a truly iconic creation.