'

Pee-wee's Big Adventure

Play trailer

Pee-wee's Big Adventure

PG

Released Jul 19, 1985

1h 30m

Kids & Family

Comedy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

52 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

Buy 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

Paul Attanasio

Washington Post

"Pee-wee's Big Adventure" isn't a movie but a collection of found objects from the garbage heap of low culture...

Jan 2, 2018

Full Review

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Reubens always lets us feel superior to his creation, and when his character slips, as it does more than once in this first feature outing, his own condescension shows through.

Feb 9, 2010

Full Review

TIME Magazine

Fair warning: this movie could induce terminal boredom in adults and rot the minds of the young.

Feb 9, 2010

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Pee-wee’s quest is quite the eccentric odyssey, as if audiences are taking a drug-addled trip through his playful nightmares.

Rated: 6/10

Nov 8, 2024

Full Review

Megan Fisher

Loud and Clear Reviews

With Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Tim Burton arrives on the filmmaking scene fully formed, with a ghoulishly whimsical visual style and instinct for offbeat comedy.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 13, 2024

Full Review

Erica Peplin

Vague Visages

The gender play, sexual politics and physical comedy shine as brightly as the 100-watt headlight on its star’s beloved bike.

Dec 5, 2023

Full Review

Read all reviews

James R

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

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/28/23

Full Review

Bluesideup

Just a great story about a boy and his bike. And by the way, the cast is excellent, brilliant director and writers, the perfect score and lots of wonderful low budget effects.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/09/23

Full Review

marlen m

A true joy to see on the big screen. Non stop nostalgia and Pee Wee with his cooler than you devil may care attitude make it difficult to look away. All the quotes, so many by the time this is over you'll find yourself saying can we do this again?

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/04/22

Full Review

John D

Classic scenes and lines from a talented cast.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/19/21

Full Review

Rob A

Did you know that when Pee Wee's bike was stolen Jupiter was aligned with Pluto?? After a three hour long emergency town meeting, now we all know! OMG this is funny...

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/29/25

Full Review

Gustavo R

Pee Wee’s bike gets stolen and in his search takes him into a big adventure. This movie it’s so stupid and outrageous that is extremely funny ! 🍿🍿🍿🍿/5 on Max

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/04/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

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

43%

63%

Space Jam

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Space Jam

Big Top Pee-wee

36%

30%

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

New on Netflix in August

Jimmy Fallon’s Five Favorite Comedy Films

New on Netflix in October

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, Paul Reubens, Michael Varhol
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Warner Brothers, Aspen Film Society
Rating: PG
Genre: Kids & Family, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 19, 1985, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $40.9M
Runtime: 1h 30m
Sound Mix: Surround

Most Popular at Home Now