Pee-wee's Big Adventure

'Pee-wee's Big Adventure' is a 1985 film directed by Tim Burton and written by Paul Reubens, Phil Hartman, and Michael Varhol. The original music score is composed by Danny Elfman.

Main cast

* Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman
* Elizabeth Daily as Dottie
* Mark Holton as Francis Buxton
* Diane Salinger as Simone
* Judd Omen as Mickey

Plot summary

Pee-wee Herman, a bizarre man-child, loves his bike more than anything else in the world. One day, after a run-in with the neighborhood rich kid who tries to buy off Pee-Wee's ever beloved bike as a birthday present, Pee-Wee travels to the local magic store to buy a bunch of trick items including a trick gum and a boomerang bow tie. When he comes back, his bike is missing, despite the fact he tied the bike up with several chains in an exaggerated fashion.

After a short burst of hysteria, including an attack on the rich kid who tried to buy off his bike, Pee-wee leaves the town to go on an excursion to find his missing bike. He visits a fake psychic by the name of Madam Ruby, who tells him that the bike is hidden in the basement of The Alamo.

Pee-wee tries to hitchhike a ride to Texas, but is unsuccessful until a man named Mickey picks him up. Mickey reveals that he is actually a fugitive on the run from the law because he cut off the tag under his mattress that read "do not remove under the penalty of law." Pee-wee and Mickey run into a police blockade, but avoids a shootout by Pee-Wee dressing up in drag to distract the officers.

Pee-wee takes over driving after Mickey falls asleep and nearly gets the duo killed. Mickey makes Pee-wee get off under the excuse that Pee-Wee could get hurt if seen with him then drives off. Pee-wee then wonders off into a foggy road where he picks up a ride from trucker Large Marge. In one of the movie's most memorable and most widely imitated scenes, the trucker frightens Pee-wee with a story about the "worst accident I'd ever seen." Afterwards, at a truck stop diner, he learns that Large Marge was actually a ghost. At the diner, Pee-wee meets Simone, a mysterious waitress with a love for Paris. The two watch the sunrise inside one of the Cabazon dinosaurs. Later, Pee-wee runs into Simone's angry boyfriend who tries to kill him, leading him to jump onto a moving train. Pee-wee then meets an eccentric hobo, where they both sing She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain, Suzanna, Skip to my Lou, and Jimmy Crack Corn before he throws himself off in exhaustion. It is here that he finally arrives in San Antonio, only to learn that Alamo doesn't have a basement.

Saddened, Pee-Wee attempts to go back home and bumps into a club for "Satan's Helpers," a rowdy biker gang. Pee-wee accidentally knocks over their bikes and is almost beat up until he manages to avoid trouble by performing a goofy dance to the song "Tequila". They allow him to borrow a bike to help him with his bike-finding quest, but Pee-wee soon runs into a billboard and is packed into an ambulance. At the hospital, Pee-Wee learns that his bike now belongs to Kevin Morton, a spoiled brat child star who is currently filming with Pee-wee's bike.

Pee-wee travels to the Warner Bros. Studio to search for his bike, soon finding the set Kevin Morton is acting on, Pee-wee is forced to disguise himself as a nun in order to steal it back. In a climactic chase scene, Pee-wee outruns the police and Warner Brothers security staff, but discovers a pet store on fire. Pee-wee decides to save all the animals in the store, including the snakes, but faints shortly after and is apprehended. Pee-wee is brought before the Warner Brothers executive, who loves his story and wants to make a movie based off of it. In a possible stab at Hollywood, the finished product barely resembles what actually happened and is a cheap, low grade, James Bond style action movie but Pee-Wee still gets a cameo appearance as a bellhop. Now rejoined with his bike, Pee-wee rides into night happily ever after.
Tagline: The story of a rebel and his bike.

Trivia

* The film was based off the more adult oriented TV special The Pee-wee Herman Show. Co-writers Paul Reubens and Phil Hartman appeared in the special.
* After working on short films such as Vincent and Frankenweenie, this was director Tim Burton's first feature film. It was a hailed success and gave Burton a name in Hollywood.
* The film's success also lead to the popular spin-off show Pee-wee's Playhouse in 1986, lauching Paul Reubens' career.

Sponsors

Pee-wee's Big Adventure

Main cast

Plot summary

Trivia

External links