Is it overstating things to call Pee-wee’s Big Adventure one of the high-water marks of American comedic cinema? Well, maybe, but it’s very, very funny and has definitely achieved “comedy classic” status. When his beloved bicycle is stolen by his nemesis, Francis Buxton (boo!), Pee-wee (Paul Rubens) goes on a cross-country trek to recover it, taking in the usual sites (The Alamo, the Cabazon Dinosaurs), and making new friends, like Large Marge the trucker, Simone the waitress, and that mean-looking biker gang. This was the first film for both director Tim Burton and composer Danny Elfman.
