Film Review: Pee-wee as Himself

5 Stars

Pee-wee Herman is his name, don’t wear it out! And if, like me, you grew up in the 1980s with the offbeat and mischievous comedian / performance-artist / television and movie star, I predict the experience of watching the new two-part documentary of his life on HBO will be a nostalgic, emotional, and revealing ride.

For many of us, we now know Pee-wee Herman as a character played by the actor Paul Reubens. But for me, growing up transfixed with this man-child and his signature red bowtie, Pee-wee was as “real” as it gets (and so committed to the bit was Reubens that he rarely appeared in public as “himself).

That struggle between his alter ego and a private life, the weight of the public’s expectations, his artistic drive, and a famous fall from grace, are all part of the multi-layered story that unfolds in Pee-wee as Himself.

But the largest arc of tension in the documentary is between the subject and himself, as Paul Reubens reluctantly looks back, struggles sometimes with chips that remain on his shoulders, and actively spars with his director Matt Wolf for creative control of his story.

And if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like behind the scenes of making a documentary (one in which the famous subject seems unnerved and reluctant), Pee-wee as Himself provides more than a few hilarious and authentic glimpses into the process.

Director Wolf has already tipped us off to his tone with the title, launching us instantly into a shell game of trying to know when Reubens is revealing his truest self and when the guarded performer is trying to control his narrative. Much of this struggle is caught candidly, as Ruebens speaks directly to the camera with his deepest concerns, fears, and reflections.

Mainly offscreen, Wolf is a character too: coaxing and pushing Ruebens to go deeper and stop messing around. Watching this repartee play out between them creates some of the film’s most genuine LOL moments as you sense their mutual trust and skepticism of each other. In the end, Wolf and his creative team either succeed or just wear him down, but in any case, the audience wins as we get the inside scoop of how Pee-wee came to be, what drove Ruebens’ ambitions, and the depth of his pain when it all came crashing down.

The true sweetness of Pee-wee’s heart and mind are as giant as the joy he brought generations of fans, and the complexity of the personal pressures it created for Ruebens was immense. Over the course of the documentary, both sides are laid out through unguarded interviews with all involved. Ruebens sat for 40 hours of interviews during filming but never once revealed to the production team that he was actively battling cancer.

In retrospect of that reality, his confessionals and struggle to be understood on-screen take on a poignant edginess that is bittersweet and sometimes heartbreakingly simple. As he says at one point, “Death is just so final.” The actor passed away before the film was completed, and probably knew he’d never see the final product.

In Pee-wee as Himself, we find a vibrant, electrified time capsule of an American icon, loner, and rebel. And a story of just how lucky the luckiest boy in the world actually felt, and how much love he left behind.

With a combined running time of 3 hours 20 minutes split into two episodes, Pee-wee as Himself is currently streaming on HBO Max. With adult language and themes, the project will delight Gen X but is not appropriate for young kids.

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