Salon

“Pee-wee as Himself” director says working with Paul Reubens was “contentious” and “thrilling”

Even as Reubens wanted to impact kids with TV the way it impacted him, he lost part of himself by having his alter ego pass as a real person. Director Matt Wolf shrewdly recounts Reubens’ life and his ...
Los Angeles Times

‘Pee-wee as Himself’ gives Paul Reubens the final word on his identity

“I was born in 1938 in a little house on the edge of the Mississippi River; my father worked on a steamboat and his name was Steamboat Milton,” says Paul Reubens by way of misdirection in Matt Wolf’s ...
NPR

'Pee-wee as Himself' is a portrait of a private man and his public alter ego

Pee-wee As Himself tells the story of how a kid who grew up adoring The Little Rascals and I Love Lucy went on to revolutionize sketch comedy and children's television. In 1986, one of the most ...
Los Angeles Times

Everyone knew Pee-wee Herman. But few knew the man behind the man-child

The first time we see Paul Reubens in the documentary “Pee-wee as Himself,” he is not playing Pee-wee Herman, the antic man-child he portrayed in comedy routines, movies, a children’s TV show and most ...
Mashable

'Pee-wee's Playhouse' is a bizarrely perfect pandemic binge

Welcome to No Shame November! This week we're diving into the pop culture we love that society tells us we shouldn't. In 2020, I’ve fantasized about burning my home down with alarming frequency. It’s ...
Variety

Greek Theater Audience Loves ‘Pee-wee’s Playhouse 40th Anniversary’ Show So Much, They Want to Marry It

Danny Elfman, Devo and the B-52s were among the guests joining host Patton Oswalt at the opening night of the Netflix Is a Joke festival. It was an “I know you’re bittersweet, but what am I?” evening.