Summary
Paul Reubens stars as Pee-wee Herman in his second full-length film about a farmer who joins the circus after a storm drops a big tent in his front yard. Pee-wee, along with an outlandish cast of animals and circus performers, puts on the best show ever.
Good for
- Family movie night
- Friends night
- Party vibe
Where to watch
Fingerprint
At a glance
Critics vs audiences
Audiences like it more than critics (+12)
Critics 36Audiences 48GoodWatch 42
Box office
76%of its budget back
- Budget
- $20 M
- Worldwide
- $15 M
Worldwide it made back $15 M of the $20 M it cost.
Running time
1 h 26 min
Shorter than most comedies, −14 min on the typical 100
typical 10086Half of all comedies run 91–111 min.
Reach
Streams in 6 countries, rent or buy in 39 more
Released
1988
July 22, 1988
38 years ago
Genres
ComedyFamilyLanguage
English
Original language
Made in
United States
Rated
- PGUnited States
Yes: it's rated PG in the United States, and the viewing guide lists it for kids.
What's in it
- ViolenceLittle or none
- Gore, disturbing imagesLittle or none
- Frightening scenesLittle or none
- Sex, nudityLittle or none
- Dark themesLittle or none
Levels from the title analysis.
Viewing guide
AdultsFamily Movie NightFriends NightParty VibeIntergenerationalKidsPublic Viewing SafeSolo WatchTeensBackground WatchComfort WatchDrop-in FriendlyPure Escapism33 people
Paul ReubensPee-wee Herman
Penelope Ann MillerWinnie
Kris KristoffersonMace Montana
Valeria GolinoGina Piccolapupula
Benicio del ToroDuke the Dog-Faced Boy- WWWayne WhiteVance the Pig (voice)
Susan TyrrellMidge Montana
Albert HendersonMr. Ryan
Jack MurdockOtis
David ByrdDeke
Mary JacksonMrs. Dill
Frances BayMrs. Haynes
Leo GordonJoe the Blacksmith (as Leo V. Gordon)
Anne SeymourPearl
Kenneth TobeySheriff
Stephanie HodgeMermaid
Franco ColumbuOtto the Strongman
Kevin Peter HallBig John
Lynne Marie StewartZelda the Bearded Lady
Dustin DiamondChild - Deke
Jay RobinsonCook- KBKevin B. KaplowitzChild - Mr. Ryan
- JRJeffrey R. ShawChild - Otis
- MHMarie HawkinsChild - Pearl
Directing · 4
- Randal Kleiser Director
- Joyce King Script Supervisor
- Roger Joseph Pugliese First Assistant Director
- Linda Montanti Second Assistant Director
Writing · 2
- Paul Reubens Writer, Producer
- George McGrath Writer
Production · 6
- William E. McEuen Executive Producer
- Richard Gilbert Abramson Executive Producer
- Debra Hill Producer
- Victoria Thomas Casting
- Kurt Neumann Unit Production Manager
- Renee Milliken Casting Assistant
Camera · 10
- Steven Poster Director of Photography
- Paul Threlkeld Dolly Grip
- Mike Schwake Dolly Grip
- Alan R. Disler First Assistant Camera
- George Kohut Camera Operator
- John Koester Camera Operator
Editing · 4
- Jeff Gourson Editor
- Terry Haggar Color Timer
- Dianne Ryder-Rennolds Additional Editing
- Irvin Paik Assistant Editor
Sound · 18
- Danny Elfman Original Music Composer
- Cecelia Hall Supervising Sound Editor
- Ronald Jacobs Supervising Sound Editor
- Kevin O'Connell Sound Re-Recording Mixer
- Steve Bartek Orchestrator
- Dan Wallin Scoring Mixer
Art · 12
- Stephen Marsh Production Design
- Anne D. McCulley Set Decoration
- Ray Rarick Construction Foreman
- James F. Orendorff Construction Foreman
- Beala Neel Art Direction
- George Stokes Construction Coordinator
Costume & Make-Up · 5
- Robert Turturice Costume Design
- Ve Neill Makeup Artist
- Greg Cannom Prosthetic Designer
- Edouard F. Henriques III Makeup Artist
- Yolanda Toussieng Hairstylist
Visual Effects · 2
- Richard Edlund Visual Effects Producer
- Matt Sweeney Special Effects Supervisor
Lighting · 4
- James Plannette Chief Lighting Technician
- R. Michael De Chellis Assistant Chief Lighting Technician
- Scott McKnight Lighting Technician
- Jack Kirk Assistant Chief Lighting Technician
Other crew · 9
- Bill Couch Stunt Coordinator
- Karen Price Stunts
- Gary Morgan Stunts
- Bob Yerkes Stunts
- Joel Marrow Transportation Coordinator
- Alex Plasschaert Stunts
Tropes
More like this
Watch order
In this series
Film 2 of 3 · after Pee-wee's Big Adventure · then Pee-wee's Big Holiday
Similar
Most like Big Top Pee-wee overall
Nearest on the related map: closest in everything it does to you, not one trait
Same genre


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