The Big Bowtie

Here's another first-time watch of an iconic movie: Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985). I've seen lots of the memes, but never the movie.

It stars Paul Ruebens as odd man-child Pee-Wee Herman. We see him get up, let his Rube Goldberg machines feed him breakfast, then head out on his beloved bike. Fellow adult child and rich brat Mark Holton tells Pee-Wee that it's his birthday, and he gets anything he wants - and he wants the bike. This leads to an iconic exchange of "I know you are but what am I" insults. 

Pee-Wee heads downtown to stop at the magic store for some tricks, then the bike shop to upgrade his treasure. The best bike tech is Dottie, E.G Daily. who has a crush on Pee-Wee. But Pee-Wee turns her down with the iconic "I've done things you wouldn't understand. Things you couldn't understand. Things you shouldn't understand." I've heard this any number of times, but I don't think I ever heard Dottie's punchline: "I don't understand."

But when Pee-Wee comes out - his prized bike is gone. Little did he know that Holton has his henchpersons steal it for him. He finds a fortune teller who tells him it's in the cellar at the Alamo. But how can he get to the Alamo without transportation? 

And so on. The movie is really about the friends Pee-Wee meets along the way. These were a little surprising to me (because I didn't see them memed). Like, an escaped convict picks him up, and they quickly bond, because they are both outlaws. It's actually fairly sensitive (considering) and a bit romantic (!?!?). He wins over almost everyone he meets due to his openness and sincerity. Even the biker gang warns to him when he does a go-go routine to "Tequila".

All this was as funny as we expected and a bit weirder. Pee-Wee actually has a bit if an edge, if you're looking for it. I hear Big Top Pee-Wee is a flop, so this is probably one and done for us.