Pee-wee's Big Adventure

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Pee-wee's Big Adventure

PG

1985

1h 31m

Kids & Family

Comedy

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

78%

Tomatometer

116 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Pee-wee Herman (Paul Reubens), an eccentric child-like man, loves his red bicycle and will not sell it to his envious neighbor, Francis (Mark Holton). While Pee-wee visits his friend Dottie (Elizabeth Daily), the bike is stolen. Thinking his bike is at the Alamo, Pee-wee sets off on a trip, where he meets many remarkable people, including waitress Simone (Diane Salinger) and a motorcycle gang. Eventually, Pee-wee discovers that his bike is being used in a movie and tries to recover it.

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Critics Consensus

Pee-wee's Big Adventure brings Paul Reubens' famous character to the big screen intact, along with enough inspired silliness to dazzle children of all ages.

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Jake Cole

Slant Magazine

Dec 9

The depiction of Pee-wee making hostile environments a little kinder is all the more endearing for the goofy and slightly surreal flights of fancy that characterize the film.

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Liam Lacey

Globe and Mail

Oct 8

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure may be the freshest comedy since Spinal Tap.

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David Edelstein

Village Voice

Jul 30

Pee-wee's Big Adventure is spun out of childish delight and childish malice.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Apr 5

4/4

An absolutely delightful film that, with the exception of Ed Wood, still ranks as Tim Burton's finest achievement.

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Charlie Patton

Florida Times-Union

Feb 3

2/5

Pee-wee's Big Adventure doesn't have nearly enough good ideas to fill 90 minutes of film.

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Douglas Davidson

Elements of Madness

Dec 18

... BIG ADVENTURE holds a special place in our hearts. Watching Pee-wee gave kids permission to acknowledge the weird parts of ourselves, to shine love on them, as well as look at the world as an opportunity for discovery.

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Charlie R

Jan 21

first person on earth to cry during this movie due to the beauty of it all

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Randy D

Jan 21

Its a classic. Very funny.

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Carlos

Sep 28

Great times seeing this on the Big Screen again!

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Jimmy C

06/12/2025

Love the movie, it's a classic and Paul Rueben, the late Phil Hartman and Tim Burton created a piece of history with this film.

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Sarah F

06/09/2025

Brought back great memories. And the audience participation was a bonus.

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James R

12/28/2023

I called it a classic and it said, “I know you are, but what am I?”

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Tim Burton

Director

Paul Reubens

Pee-wee Herman

E.G. Daily

Dottie

Mark Holton

Francis

Diane Salinger

Simone

Tony Bill

Terry Hawthorne

Dennis the Menace

28%

39%

Dennis the Menace

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Space Jam

46%

63%

Space Jam

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TRAILER

for Space Jam

Big Top Pee-wee

30%

31%

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50%

63%

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Richie Rich

27%

32%

Richie Rich

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Synopsis

Pee-wee Herman (Paul Reubens), an eccentric child-like man, loves his red bicycle and will not sell it to his envious neighbor, Francis (Mark Holton). While Pee-wee visits his friend Dottie (Elizabeth Daily), the bike is stolen. Thinking his bike is at the Alamo, Pee-wee sets off on a trip, where he meets many remarkable people, including waitress Simone (Diane Salinger) and a motorcycle gang. Eventually, Pee-wee discovers that his bike is being used in a movie and tries to recover it.

Director: Tim Burton
Producer: Richard Abramson, Robert Shapiro, Paul Reubens
Screenwriter: Phil Hartman, Michael Varhol
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Warner Brothers, Aspen Film Society
Rating: PG
Genre: Kids & Family, Comedy, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 19, 1985, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $40.9M
Runtime: 1h 31m
Sound Mix: Surround