Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

Want more recommendations for your family?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for entertainment inspiration

Parents' Guide to

Big Top Pee-wee

By Scott G. Mignola, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Uneven cult favorite has some sexual situations.

Movie PG 1988 86 minutes
Big Top Pee-wee Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 11+

Based on 5 parent reviews

bigmoviefan2020
bigmoviefan2020 Adult
November 26, 2020
age 15+

An adult film is too raunchy to see

R: some suggestive images
Jgruttadauria
Jgruttadauria Parent of 8-year-old
December 20, 2019
age 12+

NOT suitable for children under 12

BEWARE. There are several sexually inappropriate scenes in this movie that Common sense Media has failed to report. Pee Wee jumping on top of/rolling around with/kissing his girlfriend and some close up shots of a women’s breasts (in a bikini) and Pee Wee’s making remarks/eyes popping out of his head. We stopped the movie at this point but I believe there are several other inappropriate scenes similar to these. I emailed Common Sense Media to alert them of this several months ago and was assured they would re-evaluate but this obviously has not been done.

This title has:

Too much sex
See all 5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In BIG TOP PEE-WEE, Pee-wee Herman (Paul Reubens) has a farm, and a talking pig named Vance, too. Country life agrees with him, it seems. He serves his animals big pancake breakfasts, performs botanical experiments in his free time, and is engaged to the town's pretty schoolteacher, Winnie (Penelope Ann Miller). It's a life of contentment -- or would be if a storm hadn't blown a large circus and accompanying human oddities onto his property. Pee-wee finds himself in a quandary when he falls for beautiful trapeze artist Gina Piccolapupula (Valeria Golino). What should he do? Stay on the farm and marry Winnie, or follow his heart and find a niche for himself under the big top?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5 ):
Kids say (1 ):

Fans of the groundbreaking children's show Pee-wee's Playhouse will find this second feature starring Paul Reubens' famous alter ego rather slow and clumsy by comparison. Those new to cult figure Pee-wee Herman are advised to acquaint themselves elsewhere, as this venture may seem little more than a painful curiosity. Tim Burton's first Pee-wee feature, Pee-wee's Big Adventure was inspired, but director Randal Kleiser doesn't bring the proper sensibility to this sequel.

The script undermines Pee-wee's peculiar man-boy appeal by casting him as romantic figure. By hopping libidinously on his fiancée and kissing beautiful Gina, he's obviously meant to be a sort of human oddity. He certainly is that, but a lot of potential humor is sacrificed for the effect. Still, kids will find Pee-wee hard to resist. They'll also like Vance the talking pig and the circus folk, including a tiny lady, a dog-faced boy, a mermaid, and the ringmaster, played by an out-of-place Kris Kristofferson.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Pee-wee's character. How is he different than most people? Why would his character become so popular? Can you think of other offbeat characters who have achieved fame?

  • Why do you think that sequels are rarely as good as the original movies? If that tends to be the case, why do you think Hollywood continues to churn out so many sequels?

  • What are some examples of dated comedy in this movie?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate