Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Pee-wee's Big Adventure

Play trailer Poster for Pee-wee's Big Adventure PG 1985 1h 31m Kids & Family Comedy Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
78% Tomatometer 115 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

Where to Watch

Pee-wee's Big Adventure

Pee-wee's Big Adventure

What to Know

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

Critics Reviews

View More
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 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 South Florida Sun-Sentinel Staff South Florida Sun-Sentinel Aug 12
2.5/4
[A] tale of zany invention and fascinating images. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Carlos Sep 28 Great times seeing this on the Big Screen again! See more Jimmy C Jun 12 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 Jun 9 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 Bluesideup 08/09/2023 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. See more marlen m 07/04/2022 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? See more Read all reviews
Pee-wee's Big Adventure

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

View All

Tim Burton

Director

Paul Reubens

Pee-wee Herman

E.G. Daily

Dottie

Mark Holton

Francis

Diane Salinger

Simone

Tony Bill

Terry Hawthorne

More Like This

View All
Dennis the Menace 28% 39% Dennis the Menace Watchlist Space Jam 44% 63% Space Jam Watchlist TRAILER for Space Jam Big Top Pee-wee 31% 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 All

Pee-wee's Big Adventure

Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) View more photos

Movie Info

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
Most Popular at Home Now