Watching Pee-wee As Himself feels like peeling back the curtain on one of pop culture’s most fascinating figures. Paul Reubens, the man behind the bowtie and high-pitched giggle, was nothing short of a creative genius. This documentary doesn’t just show you how Pee-wee Herman was made—it reminds you how rare and brilliant it was for someone to invent a whole world, live in it, and get the world to follow along.

Reubens created a character that was joyfully weird, totally original, and unapologetically himself. Pee-wee was for kids, sure—but there was always this wink to adults. He was innocent but rebellious, silly but sharp. What the film captures so well is how Reubens didn’t just play Pee-wee—he was Pee-wee. It was performance art wrapped in Saturday morning cartoons, and it worked beautifully.

But then came the backlash. The documentary doesn’t shy away from the ugly part of the story—how a minor incident turned into a media frenzy and moral panic. It’s hard to ignore how homophobia and cultural conservatism played a huge role in tearing Reubens down. A guy who challenged gender norms, played with camp, and refused to be “normal” was an easy target. The media didn’t just report on him—they wanted to humiliate him.

The beauty of Pee-wee As Himself is that it gives Reubens the space he never really got at the time—to be human. To be more than a headline. It’s both a celebration and a gentle critique of the way fame and queerness have always been in tension in America.

More than anything, the doc reminds you: Pee-wee wasn’t just a character. He was a revolution in red lipstick and saddle shoes.

Now streaming on MAX.

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