Big Top Pee-wee
| Big Top Pee-wee | |
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 Big Top Pee-wee film poster |
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| Directed by | Randal Kleiser |
| Produced by | Debra Hill Paul Reubens Richard Gilbert Abramson |
| Written by | Paul Reubens and George McGrath |
| Starring | Paul Reubens Penelope Ann Miller Valeria Golino Kris Kristofferson |
| Music by | Danny Elfman |
| Cinematography | Steven B. Poster |
| Editing by | Jeff Gourson |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | July 22, 1988 July 6, 2004 (DVD release) |
| Running time | 86 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Gross revenue | $15,122,000 |
| Preceded by | Pee-wee's Big Adventure |
Big Top Pee-wee is the 1988 family comedy sequel to the 1985 film, Pee-wee's Big Adventure, and stars Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman, Penelope Ann Miller, Valeria Golino, and Kris Kristofferson. The original music score is composed by Danny Elfman. The film is marketed with the tagline "Hero. Lover. Legend."
The Paramount Pictures production was directed by Randal Kleiser and written by Paul Reubens and George McGrath. Paul Reubens also co-produced the film with Debra Hill. Filming locations include Disney's Golden Oak Ranch in Newhall, California, USA and the auditorium at Hart High School. This was Kleiser's first movie for Paramount since 1978's Grease.
During a 1988 television special, Pee-wee Herman acknowledged the long hours of circus training undertaken by the film's actors and that they spent a year and a half working on the movie. He also humorously compared himself as an actor to James Cagney and Spencer Tracy and ended by saying that Big Top Pee-wee is "at least as good as Police Academy."[1]
Overall, Big Top Pee-wee was not as successful as its predecessor, making less than half its gross revenue.
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Characters
- Pee-wee Herman - (Paul Reubens) an eccentric, childish farmer and scientist living on the outskirts of a small rural town.
- Mace Montana - (Kris Kristofferson) the owner and operator of a traveling circus that is blown onto Pee-wee's farm by a huge storm.
- Gina Piccolapupula - (Valeria Golino) a beautiful trapeze artist in Montana's circus that Pee-wee falls in love with.
- Winnie Johnson - (Penelope Ann Miller) A school teacher and Pee-wee's fiancée.
- Midge Montana-(Susan Tyrrell) Mace Montana's wife, who is the size of a mouse.
- Vance The Pig - (Wayne White) Pee-Wee's talking Pig
- Duke the Dog-Faced Boy - (Benicio del Toro) in his first film role
Plot
This film begins with Pee-wee's dream about being a famous singer in front of screaming girls. He makes his exit by disguising himself as Abraham Lincoln. One of girls asks him for his autograph, but the phony beard slips off his face. They chase after him and he flies off to his ranch. Pee-wee finally wakes up from his dream that morning to work on his farm with Vance the pig. Later, he spends time for lunch with a school teacher named Winnie who is eventually going to be his fiancée. Next, he races Vance to Mr. Ryan's shop in the town to order a cheese sandwich and a pickle. The sheriff (Kenneth Tobey) tells everyone about a tornadic windstorm approaching their town. After the storm expires, farm boy Pee-wee Herman awakens to discover that a travelling circus has been deposited in his backyard. Befriended by circus owner Mace Montana, Pee-wee is hoping to impress Gina Piccolapupula, a lovely trapeze artist; thereby incurring the jealous rage of his hometown sweetie Winnie Johnson until she meets the four Piccolapupula brothers. But then Gina leaves Pee-wee when she finds out that Winnie was his fiancee. Pee-wee wants to join the circus but all his attempts to do so fail badly. Gina then tells Pee-wee about a famous tightrope walker who suffered a fall, and that Pee-wee should try walking the tightrope in his honor. Mace comes up with a brilliant idea: to stage a three-ring spectacular saluting the American Farm. The problem is that the majority of the town's residents are disgruntled, uncaring people in their sixties who hate Pee-wee, and have been demanding the circus Pee-wee is helping leave town. The old people frame Pee Wee after a humorous run-in with a hippopotamus which they use to claim Pee Wee ordered to attack them, forcing Mace to tear down his circus. Pee Wee saves Mace and the circus, however, when he sneaks genetically modified cocktail weenies from his "hot dog tree" to the townspeople, causing them to become children once again. Now grateful to have extra years of life, the kids gladly watch Mace's circus and Pee Wee perform.
References
- ^ "Actor Paul Reubens, 'Pee-wee Herman'". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYmCH73-B6Y. Retrieved 2008-08-24.
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External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Big Top Pee-wee |
- Big Top Pee-wee at the Internet Movie Database
- Big Top Pee-wee at Allmovie
- Big Top Pee-wee at Rotten Tomatoes
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