13. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, 1985
Pee-wee scared me as a young child, so I was never a big fan of Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, though I know it’s a nostalgic favorite for many. Paul Reubens’s over-the-top performance as the optimistic boy who never grew up and in search of his bicycle was too grating; his wild antics, such as dancing for a motorcycle gang or sneaking onto a Warner Bros. lot, were too goofy. But as Tim Burton’s debut feature film, it’s an important showcase for the quirky aesthetic he would soon become famous for. The dream sequences in particular, with killer clowns and a stop-motion T. Rex, have the kind of scary playfulness that foreshadow his later work. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure has a relentless childlike absurdity that many find charming—especially younger audiences. But if you don’t find Pee-wee funny or cute, there’s not much here aside from the eye-popping special effects.
