Pee-wee as Himself

I don’t think this is a great documentary but I hope it gets more acclaim than it deserves because my love for Paul Reuben’s knows no bounds and narrative justice must prevail here. Subversion is really something. There are some things you love on a level you can’t fully comprehend until you see a documentary or read a book like this. I always knew I loved Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure a little more than average. But I never would’ve considered it as being queer or drag as a kid (it’s hard to associate the Pee-Wee character with sex at all to be honest). I wouldn’t have connected the style of the show with a love for classic kitsch and a hoarder-like affinity for collecting beautiful and unique items. And now there’s all these other strange connections like having worked in children’s media and lived in LA, New York, Sarasota…when he mentioned he spent a lot of time at the Doris Duke property in Jersey a few miles from where I grew up, I got really weirded out. What I’m poorly trying to articulate is that sometimes in art, bonds of connection can be felt in ways that are unknowable and mysterious to both the audience and the creator and I just think it’s one of the most beautiful and powerful forces. Footnote: May we all have a Debi Mazar in our life exactly when we need her most.