i know i wasted 90 mins of my life.

Crappy film

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

This is a very difficult movie to appreciate. Or it may be a very simple movie to appreciate, depending on who you are.Have a look at the following movies, and if you see at least 1 that you really like from EACH category, then you'll probably enjoy "Big Top Pee-Wee".CATEGORY A ----------------------------Pee-wee's Big AdventureEdward ScissorhandsThe FallLabyrinthCATEGORY B ----------------------------Free WillyE.T.Anything by Walt DisneyThe Muppet MovieCategory A movies are fairy tales for adults. Category B movies are straightforward kid's movies. In order to appreciate "Big Top Pee-wee" you have to be ready for either. You have to expect some jokes & gags that only adults will recognize (mildly sexual, cynical or taboo: such as the cranky old lady's hilarious reference to bulimia), but overall the film takes the format of a kid's movie, with lots of cute animals, predictable slapstick and a cheerful approach, right down to the cheezy sing-song finale.I think it's the latter--the category B "kid" content--that threw off a lot of fans. The original "Pee-wee" was an adult film packaged in a kid's presentation. But this is the opposite: a kid's film in adult clothing.As such, the gags aren't as subtle & witty as adult comedies usually are. Like a Saturday morning kids show, "Big Top Pee-wee" comes on strong with exaggerated and hyper-enthusiastic dialogue, overt sight gags & corny action. This may turn off a lot of adults expecting the more biting, tongue-in-cheek comedy of the original Pee-wee.All the same, there are some classic comedic moments that adults & kids alike will enjoy. The whole "I just wanted a cheese sandwich!" scene had me rolling. I also liked the 1st picnic with Winnie which could easily have been a deleted scene in the original Pee-wee. The creepy townsfolk in general, contrasted against Pee-wee's oblivious optimism, provided great entertainment. But be forewarned, these acidic gags are sparsely presented. Most of the film is straightforward silliness, suitable for kids & young minds.Being a die-hard fan of the original film, and being a fan of adult fairy tales in general, I have a love-hate relationship with this movie and that's why I can't rate it. But I've seen it 4 times if that's any indication of how compelling it is. My gut says I shouldn't recommend it to everyone, but all the same, there will be a few of you out there who will really enjoy this flick. If you're a kid at heart, don't hesitate.

I just saw this for the first time tonight, having wanted to see it since it was released in theaters back in the 80's. Talk about a long wait! I spent the entire movie flip-flopping between being shocked and awed. I was awed at the scenario Pee Wee is simply dumped into, having woken up from an over-the-top dream, into an even bigger and more unbelievable circumstance. Then I was summarily shocked by him jumping on Penelope Ann Miller! His talking pig, a circus literally blowing into town and the ringmaster's minuscule mate all provide a zany background to further contrast Pee Wee's oddly adult, "normal" behavior.The movie plays upon all we know/knew about the character and goes out of its way to misdirect and surprise with virtually every scene. Pee Wee instantly matures into a tender lover (when meeting his true love and 'following his heart'), and ultimately Pee Wee gets engaged to be married. In the previous movie, the Pee Wee we all knew spurns Dottie's advances much as a twelve-year-old would. Pee Wee's late-bloom puberty is creepy but mostly benign, manifested by a hair fetish, the allegorical "hot dog tree" he's cultivating, and of course numerous obligatory references to intercourse (both verbal and visual).After spending an hour and a half watching him chase his bike, I was ready for this change in pace. This sequel deserves credit at the very LEAST for breaking the sequel syndrome and refusing to poop out another silly romp. And at BEST it can be described as whirlwind hour-and-a-half search for Pee Wee Herman's masculine identity.That's not to say that it was masterfully done. One must forgive the long cuts, boring "walking" scenes and unnecessary scenes which make this seem almost like an extended second unit director's cut of what could have been a nice hour-long movie. Still it was good fun, and some of the long cuts really worked...such as in the kissing scene by the waterfall. Pee Wee and Gina's snog stretches the premise past the point of shock, into humor, then into disbelief, and again back into humor at the sheer audacity of the cut length. But with other scenes, such as the cheese sandwich scene - the humor just never seems to gel.It seemed Paul Reubens knew with this script that it would be his last shot at working a different angle of his definitive character. Paul had outgrown Pee Wee as an actor, and even if this movie was somehow destined to be a runaway success and more were commissioned, I'm sure he'd pass. What else is there to tell about Pee Wee after the man-child matures? I'm sure it was something of a metamorphosis for Paul, personally.I was happy with this movie, and saw it with the same adult eyes as I had seen tapes of the old stage show: long AFTER having seen Playhouse and Big Adventure in my childhood. Even though the roots for the character were more bawdy back in Paul's improv days, my introduction to the character was at its most innocent on Saturday morning TV. This movie served to really complete and close a story to me, in a satisfying and FUNNY way.Plus, Dustin Diamond. WTF? :)

Pee-wee's Big Adventure was an unparallelled cinematic delight. It brought to attention the previously unknown Tim Burton, who provided the perfect starring vehicle for oddball comedian Pee-wee Herman (in real life Paul Reubens).The mingling of Burton's kitsch aesthetic with Reuben's bizarre persona turned out to be a perfect match. Big Adventure had a very simple story to go from. Pee-wee wanted to be reunited with his beloved bike. And that basic premise was all it needed. Burton infused the film with a beautiful colour scheme, oddball delights and kooky curiosities, all played to the hilt by the irrepressible Pee-wee.Pee-wee's Big Adventure turned out to be a surprise box-office smash hit, cementing Burton's place among Hollywood's brightest and eccentric filmmakers.It took three years for a further instalment to arrive on the big screen. In the interim, Pee-wee got his own TV show, Pee-wee's Playhouse, and dominated the ratings as the host of one of America's most popular children's shows. Reubens took time out from the show in 1988 to make one more film, Big Top Pee-wee.Big Top came about a year before Reuben's career was damaged after he was caught masturbating in an X-rated movie theatre. The character was effectively retired after that, and although there is talk of a new Pee-wee Herman movie in the making, I'm still not entirely sure it will ever happen.In the meantime, we do have two of his adventures to fall back on. But after seeing Big Top, you wonder if you really want to see another one. Because the Pee-wee Herman you see here is not quite the one you remember.It seems that Pee-wee has done a bit of growing up. Where in the first he was content to potter about his pastel coloured mansion playing with Rube Goldberg breakfast making contraptions and copiously caring for his customized bike, here Pee-wee has settled into an almost normal life.Don't forget...I said almost! Pee-wee's now a farmer. He cultivates hot dog trees, tends to cows that produce chocolate milk, and he even has a talking pig, Vance as a business partner!He even has a personal life now. He's engaged to prim schoolmistress Winnie (Penelope Ann Miller), and lives in a normal town. Unfortunately, he's forced to share it with some not very nice townsfolk.But one windy day, fate blows a circus right into Pee-wee's backyard, all filled with curious kooks. First there's ringmaster Mace Montana (Kris Kristofferson, excellent). His wife, Midge, 2 inches tall, with a voice much bigger than she is. And best of all, Gina (Valeria Golino), the beautiful acrobat and star attraction, the woman Pee-wee falls for.I think the reason Big Top Pee-wee isn't as successful is because it doesn't have a director who's perfectly attuned to the material. The joy of the first film was Tim Burton provided an eccentric outsider's take on life. But this film's director, Randal Kleiser doesn't have that quality. He doesn't occupy Pee-wee's headspace the way Burton was able to.And the more Pee-wee tries to fit in to our world, the more apart from it he seems. He has no place in our world. He lives in one of his own rules and devisings.Also with foreknowledge of what was to come for Reubens, you do get a bit uncomfortable watching him 'nail' Winnie, engage in a bit of two-timing, and the film even implies that he loses his virginity to Gina. With him still hosting a children's show at the time of the film's release, that makes it seem all the more unpalatable.There are occasions where Big Top shows some of the similar quirks that made the first film so endearing. Like Pee-wee's farm animals sleeping in beds. Pee-wee plucking a worm from an apple to feed birds. And all the animals gathered around a table for breakfast. Danny Elfman also provides another whimsical film score to enjoy.But Big Top never really ignites. It never bursts out with the joy and exuberance that Burton brought to the first one. There is a good cast, but they somehow look a little awkward trying their best to connect with someone as alien as Pee-wee.Kris Kristofferson probably comes off best by playing the sincerity perfectly straight. But the one real shining light is the underrated Valeria Golino. She brings a passionate charge to the role of Gina. She brings Pee-wee down to earth, but is wise enough not to leave him there for too long. Because she knows he's always at his best when filled with childlike whimsy. She reminds us of the Pee-wee we once knew.Big Top Pee-wee never inhabits the bizarre, unreal world that made the first film such a treat. I think Pee-wee has become too domesticated. If there is to be another Pee-wee adventure, he can't be kept on a leash. He must be allowed to flourish. That way we can enjoy the company of the Pee-wee we remember so well.

This is a terrible film and that's really a shame, as I actually liked the first movie, PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE. I think the biggest problem about this film is that instead of the episodic style of the original that placed Pee Wee in so many different situations and meeting so many different types of people, this film is too static. With a more well-defined plot, you are left with the film resting purely on the character of Pee Wee--something I really can't stand for very long. It reminded me an awful lot of PEE WEE'S PLAYHOUSE, in that the going seemed very slow and I just needed a break from the character after a while. This was made worse by a lousy and unfunny script--so it forced Paul Rubens just to mug for the camera again and again! Uggh! Plus, without the wonderful direction of Tim Burton, the film just seems lost and aimless in its pacing and plot.