Pee-wee's Big Adventure

1985
PG
1h 31m

IMDb RATING

7.0/10

60K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer1:23

Quest Quirky Comedy Road Trip Adventure Comedy Family

When eccentric man-child Pee-wee Herman gets his beloved bike stolen in broad daylight, he sets out across the U.S. on the adventure of his life.When eccentric man-child Pee-wee Herman gets his beloved bike stolen in broad daylight, he sets out across the U.S. on the adventure of his life.When eccentric man-child Pee-wee Herman gets his beloved bike stolen in broad daylight, he sets out across the U.S. on the adventure of his life.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.0/10

60K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

4,646

1,120

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 2 nominations

Pee-wee Herman
(as Pee-wee Herman)

Elizabeth Daily

Dottie

Mark Holton

Francis Buxton

Diane Salinger

Simone

Judd Omen

Mickey

Irving Hellman

Mr. Crowtray

Monte Landis

Mario

Damon Martin

Chip
(as Damon Landis)

David Glasser

BMX Kid

Gregory Brown

BMX Kid

Mark Everett

BMX Kid

Daryl Keith Roach

Chuck
(as Daryl Roach)

Bill Cable

Policeman #1

Peter Looney

Policeman #2

Starletta DuPois

Sgt. Hunter

Professor Toru Tanaka

Butler
(as prof. Toru Tanaka)

Ed Herlihy

Mr. Buxton

Ralph Seymour

Francis' Accomplice

Director
- Tim Burton
Writers
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

6.1

Pee-wee's Big Holiday

8.1

6.9

8.2

6.3

7.8

Christmas at Pee-wee's Playhouse

7.7

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

7.4

7.9

6.6

7.3

7.8

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

Storyline

Edit

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
Paul Reubens said that he, Phil Hartman, and Michael Varhol had never written a screenplay prior to this film. They purchased a book by Syd Field on how to write screenplays and did exactly what the book said. As a result, this movie is sometimes used in screenwriting classes because it fits the screenwriting paradigm perfectly - the film is 90 minutes long and the script is 90 pages long. The first act ends at Page 30 / 30-minute mark, the second act ends at Page 60 / 60-minute mark, etc.

Goofs
When Pee-wee and Simone watch the sunrise they enter a red T-Rex, but exit a green T-Rex, because it was being lit with a red spotlight.

Quotes
Pee-wee: There's a lotta things about me you don't know anything about, Dottie. Things you wouldn't understand. Things you couldn't understand. Things you shouldn't understand.
Dottie: I don't understand.
Pee-wee: You don't wanna get mixed up with a guy like me. I'm a loner, Dottie. A rebel. So long, Dott.

Alternate versions
There are at least 2 fullscreen versions of the film. An open matte version that shows off more vertical picture than the theatrical widescreen (the earliest VHS releases are this way), and a pan-and-scan cropped version, cropped from the theatrical widescreen.

Connections
Featured in At the Movies: The Worst Films of 1985 (1986)

Soundtracks
Burn in Hell
Written by Dee Snider
Performed by Twisted Sister
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User reviews225

Review

Featured review

7/10

Good fun for fans of Tim Burton and weird comedy

Pee-Wee is not part of my childhood but I've heard many internet people talk about him later. The funny weirdo character suits well together with the director Tim Burton's wild imaginative visions. Mostly it's colorful and cheerful but sometimes also darker vibes are thrown in, like a rainy street view that reminded me of the gothic style of his later Batman films.

It's a really funny adventure comedy film but you need to have a certain childlike attitude to enjoy it. If you're too serious you might find Pee-Wee's constant giggling a bit annoying. I personally liked the whole movie a lot.