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Pee-Wee a cartoon figure in a flesh and blood world
By Brian Offenther |
August 3, 2012, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
WHENEVER a comedy skit is plucked from its original context and has to stretch to a feature-length film, skepticism is more than due. For every "Wayne's World," "Beavis & Butthead Do America" and "The Muppets Movie" there are 100 forgotten flops like "Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny," "A Night at the Roxbury" and "Coneheads."
The biggest problem is that comedy characters usually have so little time to establish themselves in a skit that the range they tend to develop is extremely limited.
Creator of the Pee-Wee Herman character and co-screenwriter Paul Reubens and director Tim Burton succeed in "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" by allowing this strange tension to become a joke in itself. The movie ends with Pee-Wee watching a movie about himself that has been given the Hollywood treatment, with ninjas and suave dialogue. Our Pee-Wee leaves before it's finished.
That sort of irreverence runs throughout "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" as Pee-Wee interacts with characters that don't know quite what to do with him. The audience never really figures it out either. He's a cartoon in a flesh and blood world, a classic clown character in the vein of Charlie Chaplin, Jerry Lewis and Mr Bean. To try to flesh him out would only dilute his potency.
So the "Big Adventure" here is really a series of small adventures. There is an overarching plot involving the stealing and recapture of Pee-Wee's beloved bike, but other than the opening and closing, the other scenes could be put in a different order and nothing would change.
The ending sees none of the characters changed in any way.
Pee-Wee is aided by the first collaboration between director Burton and composer Danny Elfman, who later worked on similarly bizarre movies like "Beetlejuice," "A Nightmore Before Christmas" and "Edward Scissorhands." There's an underlying creepiness to their work, even in comedies. Characters can be cruel, situations can be scary. This dynamism keeps things varied just as Pee-Wee stays the same. The context changes, but Pee-Wee never does.
Movie: 'Pee-Wee's Big Adventure' (1985)
? Where to see it: William The Beekeeper (84 Fenyang Rd, near Fuxing Road)
? When to see it: August 5, 7:30pm
? Tickets: Free
? What's to see: The titular, iconic character's surreal and fun adventure that entertains adults and kids in equal doses.
? Brian's rating: 8/10 stars
The biggest problem is that comedy characters usually have so little time to establish themselves in a skit that the range they tend to develop is extremely limited.
Creator of the Pee-Wee Herman character and co-screenwriter Paul Reubens and director Tim Burton succeed in "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" by allowing this strange tension to become a joke in itself. The movie ends with Pee-Wee watching a movie about himself that has been given the Hollywood treatment, with ninjas and suave dialogue. Our Pee-Wee leaves before it's finished.
That sort of irreverence runs throughout "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" as Pee-Wee interacts with characters that don't know quite what to do with him. The audience never really figures it out either. He's a cartoon in a flesh and blood world, a classic clown character in the vein of Charlie Chaplin, Jerry Lewis and Mr Bean. To try to flesh him out would only dilute his potency.
So the "Big Adventure" here is really a series of small adventures. There is an overarching plot involving the stealing and recapture of Pee-Wee's beloved bike, but other than the opening and closing, the other scenes could be put in a different order and nothing would change.
The ending sees none of the characters changed in any way.
Pee-Wee is aided by the first collaboration between director Burton and composer Danny Elfman, who later worked on similarly bizarre movies like "Beetlejuice," "A Nightmore Before Christmas" and "Edward Scissorhands." There's an underlying creepiness to their work, even in comedies. Characters can be cruel, situations can be scary. This dynamism keeps things varied just as Pee-Wee stays the same. The context changes, but Pee-Wee never does.
Movie: 'Pee-Wee's Big Adventure' (1985)
? Where to see it: William The Beekeeper (84 Fenyang Rd, near Fuxing Road)
? When to see it: August 5, 7:30pm
? Tickets: Free
? What's to see: The titular, iconic character's surreal and fun adventure that entertains adults and kids in equal doses.
? Brian's rating: 8/10 stars
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