For all its Rube Goldberg gizmos, celebrity cameos, outlandish subplots and far-flung locations, Pee-wee’s Big Holiday is most successful at highlighting the enduring talents of Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman. The single best scene in Big Holiday requires only Pee-wee and a balloon.
Pee-wee’s Big Holiday is in the spirit of Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, with Herman taking a trip cross country for an even sillier reason than last time. The plot is appropriately light, with Pee-wee journeying cross-country to make it to Joe Manganiello’s birthday party. To say too much more about his very special relationship with Manganiello would ruin the fun.
The opening in Pee-wee’s hometown of Fairville sees Pee-wee’s inventiveness taking on new and outlandish forms. For all Pee-wee hasn’t changed over the decades, each movie sees him starting fresh for the viewer.
Without Tim Burton’s touch, Big Holiday feels very much like Pee-wee’s show and less like crazy encountering crazy, with the assorted eccentrics along the way —snake charmers, gag salesman and switchblade sisters— not quite so inflated as our lead.
With Pee-wee bouncing from encounter to encounter, the action never frustrates. Bored with one segment? Wait three minutes and Pee-wee will be on to the next miniature adventure.
In some ways the Pee-wee of Big Holiday feels a little more troubled than Pee-wee’s past. He’s easily turned by Manganiello’s insistence that he “live a little” and small-town life has clearly begun to rankle him. This is a Pee-wee with a deeper well of emotion, his responses still childlike, but more burdened with experience, like one of those kid vampires.
Still, this is Pee-wee we're talking about, so much of Big Holiday is loaded with his glee, emotional transparency and endless sense of wonder. Plus, it's just very funny. The very first shot had me almost double over. Big Holiday may not be as good as Big Adventure, but what is?
Journeying across America, Pee-wee finds ample reasons to be happy again. It turns out plenty of people are just as weird as him!
