Pee-wee as Himself

Pee-wee as Himself is a fascinating, endearing, and moving portrait.

In the end, if “As Himself” is necessarily incomplete, it stands as a tribute to Reubens’s genius and complexity. It lets the boy we all knew be joined by the man who — however ambivalently — wished we could have known him better.

It’s probably not the doc HBO and Wolf likely originally envisioned. But documentary filmmaking is a process of discovery, so good on Wolf for embracing Reuben’s wariness and integrating the doubt into the fabric of Pee-Wee’s complicated and engaging personal story.

Wolf’s two-part film does justice to its subject’s thoroughly sui generis artistry — a rare blend of experimental performance, broad comedy and high, queer camp that caught imaginations of all ages — while giving due scrutiny to the off-screen legal troubles that unfairly threw his career off-course.

Wolf has made a documentary that stands up well alongside HBO’s recent run of “Difficult Funny Men” documentaries focused on the likes of Garry Shandling and George Carlin. As seen here, Reubens was difficult and welcoming, juvenile and reflective, brilliant and flawed, and I’m betting an entirely different documentary could have been made about him as an entirely different person, which only adds to the fascination.

Overall, “Pee-wee as Himself” is a worthwhile documentary for fans of Pee-wee Herman and for folks who want to know more. But even at its most entertaining, it can be an emotionally difficult viewing experience.

If the rise aspect of this two-parter ends up being slightly more compelling than the fall and subsequent series of mini-phoenix ascents that dominate Part Two, it’s worth noting that the back half is just as personal and psychologically intriguing.

Excellent documentary. A revelation on the man behind the character. Performance artist of the first degree.

"Pee-wee as Himself" is one of the best documentaries on a performer that explores the highs and lows and the trials and tribulations from bias media around people in show business. Paul Reubens knew he was dying, but the filmmakers didn’t. In this film his first person narrative is poignant, hilarious, irritable and wise, all at the same time. Paul discusses his horrific cancellation after being arrested in a porno theater in Florida and the subsequent arrest, years later for possession of child porn. At the time, Reubens was vilified. This documentary reveals that the childporn was actually vintage LGBTQ collectible magazines and art, tame by anyone’s standards. In fact there was no child porn at all. He was wrongfully accused in both instances. This took a very heavy toll on Reubens. In one last phone call before his death, a clearly ailing Paul reveals how tortured he was by the erroneous public perception of him as a pervert. It broke his heart. This documentary is a redemptive, hilarious tribute to Paul, whom we all knew and greatly admired.

Being able to see Ruebens' life develop in surprising ways, yet culminate into Peewee makes for a fantastic documentary. I felt deprived of what could have been if he was just given more chances to create.

A very good, if not fully comprehensive documentary. The first half is simply fantastic. Great archival photos and clips, paired with contemporary interviews with Ruebens (and a few of his friends and collaborators). The second half is challenged by the necessary descent into discussion of multiple arrests (which understandably require a publicist and a lawyer to make informative, but guarded comments) and then Ruebens bailing on the doc for quite an amount of time, only re-joining right before his death (though there neve was a final interview). Certain threads are left hanging (e.g,. Debbie Mazar is introduced as a great friend, then a fiancee (!), then...what? Did they "break up"? What did Paul think of her now?) and the timeline, after being largely linear for the first 3 hours, starts to bounce around starting in the 1990s (we get comebacks, and depression, and talk show appearances). Overall, a fascinating, complex artist who --- most of all --- wanted to make a mark, and Pee Wee just happened to be the character that allowed him to do it. He sacrificed a lot of himself to make that happen, and it seems to have been worth it, but its not an easy question.

With his unique carefree, spoiled little-boy persona, Pee-wee Herman was a hilarious break-out star, especially after his movie “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” and the highly-successful TV series. This documentary puts actor Paul Reubens at the center of the show, literally. He essentially narrates his life and career directly to camera, while engaging in continuous conflict with director Matt Wolf. It follows his slow rise to success and the two unfortunate incidents that left a blemish on his reputation later in life. There’s lots of archival footage, dozens of photos (some never seen before) and a few interviews with friends and colleagues. As Reubens wanted, there’s a full examination of his life, but what’s the most fun is his continual comments, often delivered with his sly irreverent smirk. I’ve always been a Pee-wee fan and this series offers fascinating insight filled with surprises and information that made me appreciate the joyful, rebellious artist and the fascinating man even more. (Two 90-minute episodes)