It’s the police’s biggest mystery of the year! Where is Pee-Wee’s bike? Okay, it’s not their most important case. But it is to Pee-Wee. When his most prized possession, the “neatest bike in the world”, is stolen, it’s up to Pee-Wee to find it. Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure takes us all over the country as he searches for the lost treasure.
Along the way, Pee-Wee runs into interesting characters such as Large Marge the ghost trucker and a gang of bikers. The biker bar scene is a classic, with Rubens doing a much-imitated Tequila dance. Those who have taken the long drive to Las Vegas may remember the dinosaur restaurant in the movie. Likewise, the Alamo scenes will be familiar to Texans and tourists alike. Disregarding the star’s (Paul Rubens) sordid behavior in real life, he delivers a hilariously purposefully overacted lead as Pee-Wee.
The villain is obvious from the beginning, and your younger children will get a kick out of knowing that they figured it out. The Clouseau-like detective work of Herman is where most of the comedy is. He’s a funny looking guy, and Rubens’ facial expressions are genius. One of the clever things in the movie is that it becomes a movie within a movie, as Pee-Wee sells the rights to his story for the big screen. He does get his bike back, the villain apologizes, and all is right once again in Pee-Wee land.
There are a lot of cameos throughout the film, including director Tim Burton (PeeWee was his first full-length film) and Phil Hartman (Small Soldiers), who also co-wrote the screenplay.
The movie doesn’t take itself seriously, or rather makes a comedic point to take itself TOO seriously, and that’s its appeal. It’s silly, like Ruben’s Pee-Wee’s Playhouse was silly. But it’s good fun, and provides a lot of laughs for children and adults alike.
Julie’s Rating: 3 stars 
MPAA Rating: PG
Cautions: Light romance, bar scene with alcohol
Appropriate for: Elementary school and older
