Review – Pee-wee’s Big Adventure

Rare indeed is the combo that works as well as director Tim Burton and star/writer Paul Reubens. With the addition of writer Phil Hartman (who makes a cameo appearance late in the movie), they’ve got a lock on the ability to bring out the playful, fiendish nature of the inner child. Most of the jokes are best when served fresh (especially the Large Marge sequence), but even after repeated viewings the humor remains fairly infectious. Of course the constraints of theatrical release required the removal of some of the raunchier elements of the old Pee-wee Herman Show, though a few manage to creep in here and there. Overall, however, this is just good fun that will appeal to a variety of age groups. However, be warned: the DVD version has been edited to remove a couple of the technical “rough spots” from previous releases, rough spots that I think Burton would have preferred to have left in because they turned out to be funny. On the other hand, the disc includes commentary, out-takes and some other fun extras. Worth seeing