Pee-wee Herman is back in his first movie since 1988's Big Top Pee-wee—and this time he's coming to us via Netflix. Bestowed an invite to a birthday party, Pee-wee leaves his comfortable Fairville and confronts reptiles, bank robbers, and some ladies looking to get hitched in Pee-wee's Big Holiday. Here's what critics are saying:
- Audiences are in for "a shaggier, less rigorously paced adventure" than they might be used to with Pee-wee, but they'll find "frequent and long-lasting laughs along the way," writes Erik Adams at AV Club. Even at 63, Paul Ruebens hasn't lost his "undeniable energy" and the film as a whole is "a testament to the lasting power of Reubens' signature character. Like Fairville, he exists outside of time."
- Jason Guerrasio agrees that "Reubens' strange brand of humor … works as well today as it did in the '80s." Some of the finest moments come via gadgets or a scene involving a balloon, he writes at Business Insider. "Yet the secret weapon of the movie, its modern touch, is (Joe) Manganiello. He is extremely funny and has a chemistry with Reubens that you'd never think would work until you see it on the screen for yourself."