This file was generated 2002-06-09 04:23 GMT. This movie's information hasn't changed since 2001-08-30.
Pee-wee has one really slick bike, and he knows it. He gives it the proper worship in daily maintenance, and it's the centerpiece of his rather strange life. The big problem is that the bike is far cooler than any other aspect of Pee-wee's Big Adventure, and it's not on screen very much. Paul Reubens is not up to the task of keeping the audience involved for the run time, and the supporting cast is little help.
Tim Burton is a wild and crazy director, no doubt about it. There are a few moments of great surreality here that hint of the Burton yet to come, but the budget is low, so some of them fall flat. One of the funniest moments, oddly, derives its humor from the cost concessions. The camera perspective is from a car driving on the highway at night. Several signs go past, but we can see that it is the signs that are moving on tracks past a stationary camera. It doesn't sound funny, but it works in its own bizarre way.
I did enjoy Jan Hooks as a tour guide at the Alamo. I also thought the movie-of-the-movie with James Brolin and Morgan Fairchild was a lot funnier than most of the movie itself.