Day 45- Movie 42. Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)

After watching The NeverEnding Story earlier this week, I thought I'd give another film from my childhood a go. I haven't seen Pee-wee's Big Adventure in 15+ years. Unfortunately, the movie wasn't as good as I remembered it. There are some legitimately funny moments in this film, but unfortunately, they are sandwiched in between annoying, stupid, pointless moments that pervade much of the film.

As you might remember, this movie is about Pee-wee Herman's attempt to find his lost bicycle. His quest for his lost bike takes him all over the country, where he meets an eclectic group of people from all walks of life. Hilarity ensues. I suppose to a certain extent, you have to respect a movie for being so completely odd and crazy. Everything about this movie is bizarre. I was surprised that this was Tim Burton's feature film directorial debut, but he was probably the right director for the job. This film does occasionally reek of a first-time director. Burton shows some of his oddball genius, but he would definitely go on to  make better films.

What most surprised me about this film were my feelings toward Pee-wee Herman. I remember being a fan as a kid, but I can say my feelings have changed. Maybe some of this is due to the real-life struggles of Paul Reubens, but the guy just creeped me out. He was such a gigantic man-child, giggling and laughing (oh my God, the laughing... just make it stop) constantly throughout the entire film. My favorite scenes were the ones when Pee-wee was sad or depressed, because at least he wouldn't unleash that annoying laugh. Whatever appeal Pee-wee might have had has been completely lost. He just seemed so silly and pointless. I'm not sure if that means I am jaded now that I'm older, but I thought his character was stupid.

I do have to give Burton credit for piling so much into this one film. Road trip movies often do that, but it is still enjoyable here. I can't even begin to describe everything in this movie- ghost truck drivers, convicts, cross-dressing, multicolored elephants, James Brolin, the Alamo, the Warner Brothers studio lot, Godzilla, and so much more. It's like a crazy nightmare.

There are actually stretches of the movie that were very enjoyable- these are typically the ones where Pee-wee bounces from scene to scene, meeting strange people who help him along the way. Many of these scenes were fun, and I didn't mind them at all. The worst parts of the film are the beginning and the end.

I wish that I had liked this movie better, but it was a bit of a chore to get through. It was very strange to watch scenes that I only vaguely remembered from my childhood. Despite that bit of nostalgia, I just couldn't bring myself to like this movie. I would give it a 6/10.

Am I being too hard on this movie? Did anyone love this movie as a kid and have actually seen it in the last 5 years? How did it hold up? Am I wrong for finding the film stupid and creepy?