Somebody has stolen Pee Wee's bike, and he must get it back. Like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, this isn't just any bike. It's his prize possession. No, it doesn't float or fly, but it might as well in his mind. An obnoxious, spoiled rich kid (just as child-like as Pee Wee, but not in a good way) covets the bike, but Pee Wee won't part for it for all the money in the world. When it all of a sudden vanishes, Pee Wee becomes desperate and that is where his adventure begins.
The music of Danny Elfman becomes practically a supporting character as Pee Wee goes on the road, hitchhiking and meeting all sorts of strange characters along the way. It all ends up in Hollywood where everything comes together, turning kiwi into a celebrity of this. But in this situation comedy, it's the individual sequences that stand out, and boy, are some of them unforgettable! Of course, the most famous is his meeting up with grim woman truck driver Large Marge, played with joyous dark wit by Alice Nunn. Future "Saturday Night Live" star Jan Hooks is hysterical as a tour guide in the Alamo.
Also popping in is none other than Elvira, appearing as a rather tough biker chick. Pee Wee gets to save his butt by doing the big shoe dance. An escaped convict nearly makes Pee Wee his bride, a truck stop dinosaur comes to life, and heroic Pee Wee shows his love for caged animals in a burning pet store. Practically ruining a Hollywood studio, Pee Wee shows that underdog can be the hero, and most especially that bullies never win.
This all comes from the mind of the very inventive Pemberton, here making his feature film debut and what an opening sequence he creates with kiwis start of the day in his very extraordinary kitchen. Salesman score becomes almost the march of the bicycles, and long after this movie is over, you may be humming that music in your head. Of course at this time, Pee-wee Herman was the star of his own television show and while he only had infrequent appearances in films afterwards, his feature film debut would go on to become one of the great comedy classics of the 1980s. It is one that you can continuously watch over and over again and always find something to laugh with.
The music of Danny Elfman becomes practically a supporting character as Pee Wee goes on the road, hitchhiking and meeting all sorts of strange characters along the way. It all ends up in Hollywood where everything comes together, turning kiwi into a celebrity of this. But in this situation comedy, it's the individual sequences that stand out, and boy, are some of them unforgettable! Of course, the most famous is his meeting up with grim woman truck driver Large Marge, played with joyous dark wit by Alice Nunn. Future "Saturday Night Live" star Jan Hooks is hysterical as a tour guide in the Alamo.
Also popping in is none other than Elvira, appearing as a rather tough biker chick. Pee Wee gets to save his butt by doing the big shoe dance. An escaped convict nearly makes Pee Wee his bride, a truck stop dinosaur comes to life, and heroic Pee Wee shows his love for caged animals in a burning pet store. Practically ruining a Hollywood studio, Pee Wee shows that underdog can be the hero, and most especially that bullies never win.
This all comes from the mind of the very inventive Pemberton, here making his feature film debut and what an opening sequence he creates with kiwis start of the day in his very extraordinary kitchen. Salesman score becomes almost the march of the bicycles, and long after this movie is over, you may be humming that music in your head. Of course at this time, Pee-wee Herman was the star of his own television show and while he only had infrequent appearances in films afterwards, his feature film debut would go on to become one of the great comedy classics of the 1980s. It is one that you can continuously watch over and over again and always find something to laugh with.