Pee-wee Herman is back on the big screen at last, and to all accounts nothing much has changed at all, and even though everyone still calls him a boy, he is actually now 63 years old. Well, Paul Reubens is … Pee-wee just doesn’t age. In this brand new movie, produced Judd Apatow (The 40Year Virgin) , the clue to Pee Wee’s raison d’etre is summed up perfectly at the start of this comic romp when a neighbor suggests he takes a trip and he replies with an emphatic ‘Nope! You know I don’t to go anywhere, or try anything new!‘
What makes him change his mind is a chance encounter with a hulking nice-but-dim beefcake in the shape of burly Joe Manganiello who takes a surprising shine to Pee-wee and invites him to come to New York for his upcoming birthday party. Pee-wee is literally slobbering over his new friend and so doesn’t hesitate for one moment about finally leaving his tiny hometown on Fairville.
As always Pee-wee and his comedy are as camp as hell, but this time it has very definite sexual overtones as he is unashamedly carrying a torch for Joe who seems complete oblivious to the fact that Pee Wee may just want to be more than good friends.
You have to be a big fan of Pee-wee to really like this piece of silly nonsense, but if you are an admirer, you will totally love it. The jury is still out on Joe Manganiello’s performance who seemed to think he was still playing the stripper from Magic Mike and was a tad too convincing as a dumb blonde (even though he is technically a brunette!)
The movie just had its World Premiere at SXSW Film Festival but is already available on Netflix.
