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Big Top Pee-wee
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Wikipedia article
'Big Top Pee-wee' is a 1988 American comedy film directed by Randal Kleiser. A stand-alone sequel to 'Pee-wee's Big Adventure' (1985), the film stars Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman with supporting roles done by Susan Tyrrell, Kris Kristofferson, Penelope Ann Miller, and introducing Valeria Golino. The original music score is composed by Danny Elfman (although he also scored 'Pee-wee's Big Adventure', he could not use any themes from that film due to contractual restrictions). It was released on July 22, 1988, and grossed $15 million against a $20 million dollar budget.
Plot
Pee-wee Herman dreams of being a famous singer. He awakens and goes to work on his farm with Vance the pig. Later, he has lunch with his fiance, school teacher Winnie Johnson. Next, he races Vance to a general store owned by Mr. Ryan to order a sandwich. There, the local Sheriff warns everyone of a large storm approaching town.
After the storm ends, Pee-wee emerges from his storm shelter to discover that an entire traveling circus has been blown into his backyard. Befriended by Cabrini Circus ringmaster Mace Montana, Pee-wee hopes to impress Gina Piccolapupula, a trapeze artist and the circus' star attraction, thereby incurring the jealousy of his relationship with Winnie until she meets Gina's older brothers, the Piccolapupula Brothers. Gina leaves Pee-wee when she finds out about Winnie, but later returns to him when she realizes that Pee-wee actually loves her after calling off his engagement with Winnie.
Pee-wee wants to join the circus, but his attempts fail. Gina then tells Pee-wee about her deceased father Papa Piccolapupula who was a famous aerialist who suffered a fall performing the Spiral of Death. Gina states that Pee-wee should try walking the tightrope in his honor. Mace comes up with a brilliant idea: to stage a three-ring spectacular saluting the American Farm. However, most of the town's residents are elderly people who have been demanding the circus leave town.
The Sheriff and Mr. Ryan lead the elderly townspeople as the Sheriff attempts to arrest Pee-wee. The Sheriff promises to dismiss the charges if the circus leaves town. While the circus is packing, Mace tells Pee-wee they will do the circus elsewhere to prevent Pee-wee from being charged. Pee-wee saves the day when he sneaks modified cocktail weenies from his hot dog tree to the townspeople, causing them to become children once again.
Without any memories of what happened, the children attend Mace's circus and watch Pee-wee perform.
Cast
Production
Following the success of the 1985 Warner Bros. film 'Pee-wees Big Adventure', Paul Reubens signed a development deal with Paramount Pictures to write, produce, and/or direct additional projects for the character of Pee-wee Herman. 'Big Top Pee-wee' was the first project in the deal to go into production.
The Paramount production was directed by Randal Kleiser and written by Paul Reubens and George McGrath. Reubens also co-produced the film with Debra Hill. Filming locations included Disney's Golden Oak Ranch in Newhall, California, and the auditorium at Hart High School in Santa Clarita. 'Big Top Pee-wee' was Kleiser's first movie for Paramount since 1978's 'Grease'.
During a 1988 television special, Herman acknowledged the long hours of circus training undertaken by the film's actors and that they spent a year and a half working on the movie. He also humorously compared himself as an actor to James Cagney and Spencer Tracy and ended by saying that 'Big Top Pee-wee' is "at least as good as 'Police Academy'."
Release and reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 38% rating based on 21 reviews, with the site's critical consensus stating: "Its endearingly oddball lead character gives it his all, but 'Big Top Pee-Wee' simply lacks the whimsical magic of its predecessor." Roger Ebert gave the film two stars and, along with colleague Gene Siskel, also gave it a thumbs down on their television program, 'At the Movies'. In a comparison to previous 'Pee-wee' works, Ebert claimed that what had made 'Pee-wee's Playhouse' and 'Pee-wee's Big Adventure' great was the characters in those have absolutely no connection with reality whatsoever, and that is why they were so enduring and enjoyable. The negative reviews reflected the films performance at the box office, where it grossed $15,122,324, suffering from competition with 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit', 'A Fish Called Wanda', and the re-issue of 'Bambi', among other summer releases.
References
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Category:Pee-wee Herman
Category:1988 films
Category:1988 comedy films
Category:1980s adventure comedy films
Category:American adventure comedy films
Category:1980s English-language films
Category:Films directed by Randal Kleiser
Category:Films with screenplays by Paul Reubens
Category:Circus films
Category:Films shot in California
Category:American sequel films
Category:Paramount Pictures films
Category:Films scored by Danny Elfman
Category:Films produced by Debra Hill
Category:1980s American films
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