Pee-wee as Himself

me at the end of part I: aw yeaaaa pee wee rules! me at the end of part II: aw fuck :’( the documentary is incredibly generous with its fan service giving us insight into the identity of paul reubens, as well as home photographs and videos documenting both paul and pee wee’s early years, but the second part is totally devastating in portraying paul’s obsessive desire for control of his identity, of his character, of how his story will be told, and how he’ll be remembered. i think paul and this documentary would have been received totally differently if he were still alive, but unfortunately his death (and specifically his knowledge of its imminence) informs much of what he says and does. the most heartbreaking part of the film comes at the end when we’re given access to an audio message paul sent to the director the day before he died expressing the tremendous pain he carried right up until the end of his life concerning his public perception and he laments the fact that his legacy may not be that of a creative force for good and love, but as an oddity and as a deviant