Pee-wee's Big Adventure

Pee-wee's Big Adventure

Theatrical release poster by John Alvin.
Directed by Tim Burton
Produced by Robert Shapiro
Richard Gilbert Abramson
Written by Phil Hartman
Paul Reubens
Michael Varhol
Starring
Music by Danny Elfman
Cinematography Victor J. Kemper
Edited by Billy Weber
Production
company
Aspen Film Society
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release dates
  • August 9, 1985 (1985-08-09)
Running time
 90 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $7 million
Box office $40.9 million (domestic)[1]

Pee-wee's Big Adventure is a 1985 American adventure comedy film directed by Tim Burton in his full-length film directing debut and starring Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman with supporting roles provided by Elizabeth Daily, Mark Holton, Diane Salinger and Judd Omen. Reubens also co-wrote the script with Phil Hartman and Michael Varhol. It is the tale of Pee-wee Herman embarking on a nationwide adventure in search for his stolen bicycle.

It is based on the 1948 Italian classic The Bicycle Thief.[2]

After the success of The Pee-wee Herman Show, Reubens began writing the script to Pee-wee's Big Adventure when he was hired by Warner Bros. Pictures. The producers and Reubens hired Burton to direct when they were impressed with his work on Vincent and Frankenweenie. Filming took place in both California and Texas.

The film was released on August 9, 1985, grossing over $40 million in North America. It eventually developed into a cult film and has since accumulated positive feedback. The film was nominated for a Young Artist Award and spawned two sequels, Big Top Pee-wee (1988) and Pee-wee's Big Holiday (2016). The financial success of the film, followed by the equally successful Beetlejuice in 1988, prompted Warner Bros. to hire Burton as the director for the 1989 film Batman.

Plot

Pee-wee Herman is a puer aeternus with a heavily accessorized bicycle that he treasures and that his neighbor, Francis Buxton, covets. A bike shop employee, Dottie, has a crush on Pee-wee, but he does not reciprocate it. Pee-wee's bike gets stolen while at the mall. He confronts Francis, who has an air-tight alibi. Pee-wee then offers a $10,000 reward for his bike. Francis, who did indeed pay to have someone steal the bike, is frightened by Pee-wee's relentlessness and then pays to have it sent away. After holding a meeting, Pee-wee angrily rejects Dottie's offers of help, tells her off and says that he doesn't need anybody. Desperate, he visits a psychic, Madam Ruby, who lies to him, claiming that the bike is in the basement of the Alamo. Pee-wee hitchhikes to Texas, getting rides from a fugitive, Mickey, and from Large Marge (the ghost of a deceased truck driver).

At a truck stop, Pee-wee discovers his wallet is missing and pays for his meal by washing dishes. He befriends Simone, a waitress who dreams of visiting Paris. As they watch the sun rise, Pee-wee encourages her to follow her dreams. Simone's boyfriend Andy misconstrues this as a fling and tries to attack Pee-wee who escapes onto a moving train where he meets Hobo Jack. Eventually, Pee-wee reaches San Antonio. Disappointed to learn the Alamo has no basement, Pee-wee calls Dottie from a bus stop and informs her of his situation. There, he runs into Simone, who encourages him not to give up as she boards a bus on her way to Paris. Stalking Simone, Andy sees Pee-wee and resumes his attack. Pee-wee evades Andy at a rodeo by disguising himself as a bull rider. Forced to ride for real, Pee-wee does surprisingly well but receives a concussion, while Andy must flee an angry bull chasing after him.

Pee-wee enters a biker bar to use the telephone, but an outlaw motorcycle club called Satan's Helpers ejects him. Pee-wee then accidentally knocks over their motorcycles, enraging the gang. His life threatened, Pee-wee makes a last request: to dance to "Tequila". His performance wins the admiration of the bikers, who give him a motorcycle to get home. While riding away, Pee-wee immediately wrecks and ends up in the hospital where he has a surreal nightmare of clown doctors "operating on" his bicycle. Awakening in his hospital bed, Pee-wee learns from a TV interview that his bicycle was bought by Warner Bros., who are using it as a prop in a movie starring Kevin Morton, a pretentious child star.

Pee-wee sneaks onto the Warner Bros. Studio lot in Burbank, California. After disguising himself as a nun, he steals his bike back. Pee-wee is chased by the security staff through a variety of sets causing havoc throughout the lot. Pee-wee's bike has numerous gadgets which he uses to evade the guards and escape the studio.

Outside, Pee-wee discovers a burning pet shop. He heroically rescues the animals, but faints on the sidewalk with a hand full of snakes just as police and fire department arrive. After slowly recovering, Pee-wee tells a firefighter and a police officer that there are still some fish inside. The firefighter hails Pee-wee as a hero, but the police officer says that Pee-wee is under arrest. Pee-wee is brought before a Warner Bros. executive named Terry Hawthorne (Tony Bill) who says Pee-wee is the rightful owner of the bike and agrees to have all charges dismissed. Warner Bros. believes Pee-wee's experience would make a good movie. Exonerated as part of the deal, Pee-wee is overjoyed to see Dottie brought into the executive's office along with his bike.

Later at a drive-in theater, Pee-wee and Dottie attend the movie premiere of his supposed biopic, an action B-movie starring James Brolin as "P.W. Herman" (who introduces himself as "Herman, P.W. Herman") and Morgan Fairchild as Dottie. After ninjas attack the couple and steal an important sport bike called the X-1, P.W. gets a phone call from the unseen President of the United States, who explains that the X-1 has an important microfilm concealed in it, which the Soviets must not be allowed to discover. Pee-wee has a cameo appearance as a hotel bellhop who hands the phone to P.W. in this scene. At the premiere, Pee-wee gives refreshments to all the people he met along his journey including Mickey (who has been recaptured and furloughed in a prison bus to see the film). Pee-wee also encounters Francis, who brags to the media about how knowledgeable he is about Pee-wee's bike, but makes a fool of himself using one of the bicycle's gadgets. Pee-wee then offers to go bicycling with Dottie, who wonders why he is not staying for the rest of the film, causing Pee-wee to remark that it is not necessary for him to see the movie, since he lived it.

Cast

Michael Varhol who co-wrote the script with Reubens and Hartman cameos as a photographer. Director Tim Burton has an uncredited cameo as the street thug who confronts Pee-wee in a rainy back-alley. Other minor roles include Ed Herlihy as Mr. Buxton and Cassandra Peterson (a.k.a. Elvira, Mistress of the Dark) as the Biker Mama of Satan's Helpers. James Brolin portrays "P.W. Herman" and Morgan Fairchild is Dottie in the in-movie production about Pee-wee's life. Dee Snider and Twisted Sister, and veteran comedy star Milton Berle cameo as themselves.

Pee-wee's Big Adventure contains numerous "conceptual continuity" links to other Tim Burton films and other productions:

Production

One of the prop bicycles used in "Pee-wee's Big Adventure." On display in the Bicycle exhibit at the Carnegie Science Center

The success of The Pee-wee Herman Show prompted Warner Bros. to hire Paul Reubens to write a script for a full-length Pee-wee Herman film. Reubens' original idea was to do a remake of Pollyanna with Pee-wee Herman in the Hayley Mills role. Reubens claims that Pollyanna is his favorite film. Halfway through writing the script, Reubens noticed everyone at Warner Brothers had a bike to get around the backlot, and so he requested one of his own. This inspired Reubens to start on a new script.[3]

Having left The Walt Disney Company and with Frankenweenie receiving positive reviews within film studios, Tim Burton was looking for a full-length film to direct. When Reubens and the producers of Pee-wee's Big Adventure saw Burton's work on Vincent and Frankenweenie, they decided to hire Burton for their film.[4] Burton felt he connected with Reubens' personality and the humor of the Pee-wee Herman Show.[5] After hiring Burton to direct, Reubens, Phil Hartman and Michael Varhol reworked the script again.[6]

Filming locations included Glendale, Pomona, Santa Clarita, Santa Monica, Burbank, Cabazon (at the Cabazon Dinosaurs[7]), Port Hueneme, California, and San Antonio, Texas.[8] Burton and Reubens had tensions with Warner Bros. studio executives over the shooting schedule.[9] Burton hired CalArts classmate Rick Heinrichs for scenes involving stop-motion animation.[9]

Soundtrack

Pee-wee's Big Adventure
Film score by Danny Elfman
Released 1985
Danny Elfman chronology
Forbidden Zone
(1980)		 Pee-wee's Big Adventure
(1985)		 Beetlejuice
(1988)

To compose the film score, Burton brought in Danny Elfman, who had previously composed the music for Forbidden Zone.[10] He relished the opportunity to compose an orchestral score rather than a pop score and wanted to it to be taken as the work of a composer rather than the dabbling of a pop musician.[11] Elfman already had the main title theme written before he signed on.[12] At the time, Elfman was the lead singer of Oingo Boingo, but the working relationship between Burton and Elfman would overshadow his performing life and continue for most of Burton's films.[10][13]

In 1986 Varese Sarabande released an album on record, cassette and compact disc featuring cues from the movie and 1986's Back to School, also scored by Elfman. While both films had their scores recorded in Hollywood, the album recording was made in London and performed by the National Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by John Coleman. In 2010 many of the original tracks were subsequently released by Warner Bros. Records as part of The Danny Elfman & Tim Burton 25th Anniversary Music Box.

Track listing (1986 re-recording, Pee-wee's Big Adventure tracks only)
  1. "Overture" / "The Big Race" – 3:07
  2. "Breakfast Machine" – 2:36
  3. "Park Ride" – 1:14
  4. "Stolen Bike" – 1:44
  5. "Hitchhike" – 0:56
  6. "Dinosaur Dream" – 0:48
  7. "Simone's Theme" – 1:35
  8. "Clown Dream" – 1:58
  9. "Studio Chase" – 1:24
  10. "The Drive-In" – 2:02
  11. "Finale" – 3:12

"Clown Dream" is also used in the video game Grand Theft Auto V. It is also often used as the opening music during Primus concerts.

The film also features "Burn in Hell" by Twisted Sister and "Tequila" by The Champs.

Reception

Pee-wee's Big Adventure opened on August 9, 1985 in the United States in 829 theaters, accumulating $4,545,847 over its opening weekend. The film went on to gross $40,940,662 domestically.[14]

Critical response

Pee-wee's Big Adventure received generally positive reviews at the time of the film's release,[15] before eventually developing into a cult film.[15] As of December 2015, Rotten Tomatoes reported that 88% of critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 7.8/10, based upon a sample of 43 reviews[16] By comparison Metacritic calculated an average score of 47 from 13 reviews collected.[17] The film was nominated with a Young Artist Award for Best Family Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical).[18]

Christopher Null gave positive feedback, calling it "Burton's strangest film."[19] Variety compared Paul Reubens to Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton,[20] while Empire called the film "a one-comic masterpiece" and "a dazzling debut" for Burton.[21] Stephanie Zacharek of Salon.com explained "Everything about Pee-wee's Big Adventure, from its toy-box colors to its superb, hyper-animated Danny Elfman score to the butch-waxed hairdo and wooden-puppet walk of its star and mastermind is pure pleasure."[22] Burton was offered the opportunity to direct Big Top Pee-wee,[23] but had no interest and was already working on his own pet project, Beetlejuice. Positive reviews of Beetlejuice and the financial success of Pee-wee's Big Adventure prompted Warner Bros. to offer Burton the director's helm for Batman.[24]

Roger Ebert never officially reviewed Pee-Wee's Big Adventure but in 1987 it topped his list of Guilty Pleasures and he did mention it in his review of Big Top Pee-wee saying the sequel was not as magical as the first.[25] The second paragraph of that review contrasted the two films explaining what he liked in Big Adventure that he didn't like in Big Top. Gene Siskel, however, gave Pee-wee's Big Adventure a negative review and even called it one of the worst movies of 1985.

Warner Home Video released Pee-wee's Big Adventure on DVD in May 2000. The release included audio commentary by Tim Burton, Paul Reubens and Danny Elfman as well as deleted scenes.[26]

References

  1. ↑ "Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)". Box Office Mojo (Amazon.com). Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  2. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/108024/Paul-Reubens
  3. ↑ Paul Reubens, Tim Burton, audio commentary, 2000, Warner Bros.
  4. ↑ Mark Salisbury; Tim Burton (2006). Burton on Burton. Faber and Faber. p. 42. ISBN 0-571-22926-3.
  5. ↑ Salisbury, Burton, p.43–4
  6. ↑ Salisbury, Burton, p.47
  7. ↑ Famous Movie Locations: Wheel Inn Restaurant from Pee-wee's Big Adventure (Cabazon, California), by Kim Potts, Aug 10, 2010, Moviefone. Retrieved 2011-08-21.
  8. ↑ "Filming locations of Pee-wee's Big Adventure". Platial. Archived from the original on 2008-06-05. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  9. 1 2 Salisbury, Burton, p.49
  10. 1 2 Salisbury, Burton, p.48
  11. ↑ Fanfare Article
  12. ↑ Danny Elfman, audio commentary, 2000, Warner Bros.
  13. ↑ excluding Ed Wood and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
  14. ↑ "Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)". Box Office Mojo (Amazon.com). Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  15. 1 2 Salisbury, Burton, p.50
  16. ↑ "Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2015-12-26.
  17. ↑ "Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985): Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  18. ↑ "PAwards for Pee-wee's Big Adventure". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  19. ↑ Christopher Null (2005-06-13). "Pee-wee's Big Adventure". FilmCritic.com. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  20. ↑ "Pee-wee's Big Adventure". Variety (Reed Business Information). 1985-01-01. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  21. ↑ "Pee-wee's Big Adventure". Empire. Bauer Consumer Media. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  22. ↑ Zacharek, Stephanie (10 October 2000). "Pee-wee's Big Adventure". Salon.com. Retrieved 2013-11-28.
  23. ↑ Salisbury & Burton 2006, p. 52
  24. ↑ Tim Burton, Batman audio commentary, 2005, Warner Bros.
  25. ↑ http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/big-top-pee-wee-1988
  26. ↑ "Pee-wee's Big Adventure (Widescreen) (1985)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2008-09-22.

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