Pee-wee's Big Adventure

Play trailer

Pee-wee's Big Adventure

PG

1985

1h 31m

Kids & Family

Comedy

Adventure

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

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.

Go to Full Review

Liam Lacey

Globe and Mail

Oct 8

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

Go to Full Review

David Edelstein

Village Voice

Jul 30

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

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Charlie R

Jan 21

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

See more

Randy D

Jan 21

Its a classic. Very funny.

See more

Carlos

Sep 28

Great times seeing this on the Big Screen again!

See more

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.

See more

Sarah F

06/09/2025

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

See more

James R

12/28/2023

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

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

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

Watchlist

Space Jam

46%

63%

Space Jam

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Space Jam

Big Top Pee-wee

30%

31%

Big Top Pee-wee

Watchlist

Little Giants

50%

63%

Little Giants

Watchlist

Richie Rich

27%

32%

Richie Rich

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

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