"Pee-Wee's Big Holiday" Review (Spoilers)

[matt_zimmer]

Also reviews for Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, Tangled: The Series: Short Cuts, DC Super Hero Girls, Preacher, and Ben 10 Alien Worlds.

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Pee-Wee's Big Holiday

That was long overdue. I'm not saying it was worth waiting 30 years for it, but I kind of resent I needed to wait for a movie this fun at all. The downfall of Paul Reubens in the 1980's is one of the most unfair celebrity sex scandals ever. Compared to what modern stars get up to, Reubens totally got a raw deal

But watching this movie makes me realize and understand why the media turned against him. The truth is Paul Reubens' comedy was designed to make people uncomfortable. And his comedy appealed to children. Moral scolds were just itching to take him out for any reason.

The outrageous thing about Pee-Wee Herman projects is that there is always a sexually perverted undertone. But what makes it especially outrageous is that nothing offensive ever occurs in the movie. The perversion is just raised, but never explored. So when the female hoodlum hire three strippers to impersonate cops, they get into a pillow fight instead. And seeing Pee-Wee is such close quarters with a grown man fawning over him, or having a crush on former child actress Alia Shawkat makes me feel weird. But nothing bad happens. Pee-Wee's friendship with Joe Manganiello is exactly as innocent as it seems. And when Shawkat kisses him is it SO freaking chaste, which is refreshing considering the gross screen kiss in Big Top Pee-Wee. That was the one Pee-Wee project I hated. The perversion was too over the top in that. This movie, the kiss is sweet. And ultimately even if Shawkat is in her 20's and Reubens is in his 60's, the truth is Reubens IS playing a young boy. The entire conceit of Pee-Wee throws the concept of age appropriateness out of any given window. Did I mention parents were LOOKING for an excuse to fry this guy's goose? It's an incredibly dangerous and subversive idea that Pee-Wee always meets scary degenerates on his adventures, and winds up befriending them. To be blunt, I see the objection parents had with that. But they COULD have chosen to simply talk to their kids and tell them Pee-Wee is make-believe and pretend. But it's easier just to drive him off the air due to a witch hunt. The other thing would involve parents taking responsibility for their own kids. And that simply isn't done.

I smiled at Diane Salinger's role. I missed John Paragon's cameo as the TV newscaster until I saw his name in the credits. I miss Lynn Marie Stewart's cameo too, darn it. The main Amish guy plays the deaf vampire serial killer Sam on Van Hesling. Even though Sam was cured of his deafness when he became a vampire, Christopher Heyerdahl is so convincing in the role, it still surprises me to realize he isn't actually deaf.

I noticed something about Pee-Wee's voice that annoys me about Seth MacFarlane. On one of the Star Wars Family Guy specials, MacFarlane wanted Reubens to do a voice cameo as Pee-Wee Herman. But Reubens does not sound remotely the same as he did 30 years ago. He voice has gotten much softer as he has aged. And instead of accepting that and doing the tribute to Pee-Wee as is, MacFarlane fired him and did his own impression. And seeing this, and realizing Pee-Wee doesn't sound the same at all is strange because he SEEMS exactly the same. Which shows that Reubens performance was more about tone than the grating voice. And maybe if MacFarlane wasn't such a product of Hollywood (which he loves to savage by the way) he'd recognize Reubens as Pee-Wee no matter if his voice was the same or not.

I like that Pee-Wee got a standing ovation in Amish country for the balloon trick. That is a classic Pee-Wee Herman routine in that it goes on far longer than is actually funny, but it's the fact that it's not funny which is why it's fearless they committed to the bit anyways. The amount of absolute ridiculous vulnerability and lack of vanity Reubens routinely potentially embarrasses himself with reminds greatly of the positive aspects of Jim Carrey. He is not afraid to look like a total ass so long as it's funny. The balloon joke is also very similar to Ace Ventura in not actually being funny at all.

Here is an interesting fact about me: The first time I ever saw or heard about Joe Managiello was in this movie. This is the movie's idea of a Big Get? I get The Pee-Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special had an eclectic group of stars, but I actually knew who Sono Bono, Grace Jones, and Charo were. Frankly, I have seen Nicole Sullivan (who plays his nameless girlfriend) in a ton of more stuff, which strikes me as the most bizarre casting ever for the girlfriend of the celebrity guest. If anything Pee-Wee should be sipping root beer barrels with the chick from MADTV and The King Of Queens.

Here is something sad about Reubens that I appreciate more than most people do. This movie has farmer's daughters jokes, bad seed knife-wielding criminal female delinquents right out of a Russ Meyer movie, and Pee-Wee is literally trapped in a well at the end. And all of these jokes remind me heavily that Reubens is of a certain generation where that used to be funny and relevant. And the only reason I laugh is because I'm getting nearer to that age all the time. I don't expect younger viewers of this will be quite so forgiving of those specific twists.

I love that Pee-Wee is amazed by traffic lights and pizza. The irony is that the Pee-Wee Herman from Pee-Wee's Playhouse bordered on worldly and was always willing to try and do new things.

I felt like Pee-Wee saying goodbye to the alien should have been a movie in and of itself, and then I see how creepy Yul is, and instantly take back that wish. Yikes.

It amused me that Pee-Wee's garage rock band (The Renegades) seems to be heavily influenced by the Osmonds and other old fashioned square acts like that. Some lover and rebel Pee-Wee is. Everyone I know has a big butt.

I love the scene of Pee-Wee rebuffing the librarian's advances. Because it states something that should not be true in this franchise and totally is. Pee-Wee Herman is a secret ahole who treats people who annoy him with the most withering of passive-aggressive indirect insults. And the reason that shouldn't be happening in this franchise is that Pee-Wee is universally loved in that town. In secret he's muttering under his breath how much they all suck and how dumb they are for liking him.

I want to save this part of my review for last, because it was the most demanded scene in over 30 years. But Pee-Wee actually does a hugely complex and fun Rube Goldberg stunt at the beginning as he says hello to everyone in the neighborhood in the morning. It's not as fun as Pee-Wee's Big Adventure's breakfast machine, simply because I had never seen something like that before, and this is a direct homage to that. But it made me think something that I DIDN'T think about the breakfast machine, and I probably should have. Pee-Wee setting all of that stuff up must take hours each day for 7 minutes of goofiness. The other joke that reminded of too much work for the brief pay-off is the notion that Joe built that huge model building in just two days after meeting Pee-Wee for ten minutes. I appreciate when a movie tries to make that sort of thing seem effortless. But the fact is that Pee-Wee probably spends about as much time staying motionless and planning perfectly still as the average domino builder. And in 30 seconds, it's over. Bummer.

That was a good way to kill an hour and half. Let's hope we don't have to wait another 30 years for Reubens to do it again. ****1/2.




Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure "There's Something About Hookfoot"

The idea that the mermaid was the bad guy was an irresistible conceit, especially since her feelings for Hookfoot were genuine. That makes the sad ending genuinely earned, like the best sad endings. I mean, just looking at the beach covered with mermaid tears was so beautiful a notion. It was like a perfect ending.

One of my favorite episodes of this season. ****1/2.

Tangled: The Series: Short Cuts "Hairdon't"

Can't believe Eugene was complaining to Rapunzel about having long hair.

Just so we're clear: That's a bad haircut, correct? So why do Marvel cartoons insist on giving it to Black Widow and Captain Marvel on purpose?

Cute cartoon. ***1/2.

Tangled: The Series Short Cuts "Unicorny"

How do characters in a medieval premise know Film Noir tropes?

Jeffrey Tambor is gone. LONG gone. Good riddance.

Good cartoon. ****.




DC Super Hero Girls "Bottle Episode"

Best episode title ever!

Why is there a cork on top of Kandor? How do people breathe?

The action scenes using Flash looked amazing. I might not mind the cheaper animation if it all looked like this.

Half star taken off because a school janitor would never throw out something that looks like a kid's science project.

This episode knocked my socks off! ****1/2.




Preacher "Schwanzkopf"

I just kept thinking of how stupid Tulip and Jessie are all throughout the episode. They keep making broad unilateral decisions as if they actually know what they are doing, but they are both messing with forces they don't have a clue about. It's frustrating.

As if Herr Starr didn't hate Jessie enough, he commands him to wear no more hats. That was funny.

My favorite moment in the episode was upon Eccarius telling Cassidy that if he gave into his urges he could finally be happy, Cassidy saying, "I'd rather be sad." That was poetic, and deep, and says that Cassidy is a good person and always has been.

Humperdoo clones running amok. And one of them gets flattened by a truck within seconds. Figures.

I'm wondering what's going on in the Saint's mind when he learned that Eugene wasn't actually dead. I couldn't quite figure him out this episode.

Funny episode but Tulip and Jessie are hard characters to root for. ***1/2.




Ben 10: Alien Worlds "Four Arms"

Interesting. ****.