Search - Pee-Wee's Big Adventure on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG Content Advisory: Mild Violence, Adult Situations, Suitable for Children Movie Release: 1985 DVD Release: 05/02/2000 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Restored/Remastered Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, French SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 30 mins Studio: Warner Home Video Members Wishing: 37 Genres: Comedy, Children's/Family, Road Movie, Adventure Comedy, Family-Oriented Comedy See Also: Pee-Wee's Big Adventure

Co-written by Paul Reubens and Phil Hartman, Pee Wee's Big Adventure marks the debut of director Tim Burton, who stamps the entire film with his quirky trademark style. The premise: Pee Wee (Reubens), an overgrown pre-pubescent boy sporting a molded Princeton cut, blush, lipstick, and a shrunken gray flannel suit, lives an idyllic life in his bizarre home (some have compared the remarkable set design to the expressionistic The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) until someone nabs his most prized possession: a fire engine-red customized bicycle. He then embarks on an epic cross-country search to find his lost love, not to mention more than a little adventure. Along the way, he makes friends with various oddball characters, visits the Alamo, endures various hallucinatory nightmares, and has a supernatural run-in with a spectral trucker. In this reprisal of his popular standup routine, Reubens is wonderful as the nerdy man child; he plays it silly, yet he manages to imbue the role with some sensitivity without ever seeming maudlin. The score by Danny Elfman is terrific -- as is the case in nearly every film Burton has directed -- and the script is fresh and inventive. Some of the most memorable moments: the opening sequence involving Pee Wee's morning activities is a stroke of genius (note the bunny slippers and talking breakfast), as are the scenes at the truck stop, and the "Hollywood" version of Pee Wee's story at the end (starring James Brolin and Morgan Fairchild in surprise cameos). In all, Pee Wee's Big Adventure is a delightful film, enjoyable for children as well as adults. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide

Paul Reubens - Pee-Wee Herman
Elizabeth Daily - Dottie
Mark Holton - Francis
Diane Salinger - Simone
Judd Omen - Mickey

Actor Paul Reubens finally breaks his Pee-Wee Herman persona on the audio commentary for the DVD release of this hilarious film. Unfortunately, the commentary doesn't live up to expectations. Along with first time director Tim Burton, Reubens takes what should have been classic commentary and instead makes it exhausting and overly informative. A great deal of time is spent just trying to remember what happened during the making of the film and who still owns the colorful props you're seeing. Fortunately, the package also includes lots of extras which will please those obsessed with Pee-Wee, Tim Burton, or the film. Included are a production design featurette with storyboards, production notes, and lots more. There's also a few deleted scenes, including an extra dream sequence and a much longer studio chase, which are amusing but have poor audio and image quality. The highlight of the disc is composer Danny Elfman's commentary and music-only track. Pee-Wee's Big Adventure was Elfman's first full length feature score, and his commentary on the composition process and how the result changed him from Oingo Boingo lead singer to Hollywood's top film composer is insightful. ~ Arthur Borman, All Movie Guide