I was never going to review Pee Wee as himself. I had vague recollections of his show and first movie from my misspent youth. I had never even known he was part of the community until I saw an interview with Elvira where she talked about their friendship. I was sitting at home nursing what was probably a case of food poisoning and just clicked on it because I needed something to watch, and my brain wanted to stop thinking. I am glad I did because it was well done and much more interesting than I figured it would be.
The documentary starts off with Paul Reubens arguing with the director over access and control of the narrative. A theme that seemed to permeate the film as well as the years of his life. Director Matt Wolf takes us through Paul Reubens’s whole life, from his early days studying acting at the California Institute of the Arts to the improv troupe the Groundlings, to his rise as Pee Wee Herman all the way to his almost career arrest for indecent exposure. The tale of his having to reinvent himself after his trademark character was fraught with drama, but I think the part that touched me the most was the discussion of how, after failing to get a role on Saturday Night Live, he put all his efforts into a singular character and his letting many other things fade into the background including his relationships. I can understand why he chose to be in the closet at that time, but I did wonder what an alternate timeline would have been like if he kept up as a gay performance artist. The other strong point of the show is it’s how they portray the bad as well as the good. Paul was apparently a bit of a control freak and made some choices that cost him friends and lovers.
The movie is a bit of a commitment, at over three hours, long but is worth investing the time in.
Paper Phoenix ink 