Pee-wee's Big Holiday
Netflix | Release Date: March 18, 2016 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
63
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
8
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Village VoiceAaron HillisMar 18, 2016
Manically imaginative and very funny. Read full review
83
HitfixDrew McWeenyMar 22, 2016
While it’s doubtful any film could match the weird giddy energy that made Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure a classic, this movie honors and expands his legacy, and should prove to be a pleasure for anyone who has ever loved this character. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comNick AllenMar 18, 2016
As comedy, the events are more often charming than funny; even when some sequences fall flat, they show a dedication to the surrealism that’s charismatic. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleDavid WiegandMar 18, 2016
The opening is hilarious, but it also sets the bar extremely high for whatever may follow.... The film doesn’t always hit that bar, but it comes close enough times to make “Pee-wee’s Big Holiday” a holiday for viewers. Read full review
75
ConsequenceMichael RoffmanMar 18, 2016
It’s not exactly the repeat masterpiece of yesteryear, but that was never going to happen. Instead, it’s a proper and agreeable reunion for fans who grew up, but still have that hungry desire to toss aside reality and enjoy a little unadulterated fun. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubErik AdamsMar 17, 2016
If there’s anything tying together the detours and roadblocks that comprise Big Holiday, it’s the film’s big, bold, screaming celebration of human difference. Read full review
70
The VergeBryan BishopMar 23, 2016
This is a movie more about friendship and acceptance than anything else, and Pee-wee seeing so much of himself in someone like Manganiello is a ridiculously silly motor that gets the story moving quickly. Read full review
70
New York Daily NewsKatherine Pushkar Mar 21, 2016
If Pee-wee's Big Holiday is never really hilarious, neither is it ever dull. It floats along, offering goofy gags and relentlessly silly jokes that will have you LOLing — sometimes in spite of yourself. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterJustin LoweMar 17, 2016
Big Holiday’s episodic road-trip script is a good fit for the film’s sketch-based humor. Read full review
70
The New York TimesNeil GenzlingerMar 17, 2016
Like the Muppets and the Simpsons, Pee-wee Herman seems not to age. But in his new Netflix movie, Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, he does take things down a notch; he’s less frenetic and more reactive. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyMar 18, 2016
A lot of us have really missed Pee-wee, and seeing him go through his fun-house morning regimen at the outset of the film is a giddy treat. It’s like catching up with an old friend. But nostalgia gets you only so far. Read full review
60
The GuardianNigel M SmithMar 21, 2016
The film plays like nirvana for Pee-wee fans. Read full review
60
ScreenCrushMatt SingerMar 17, 2016
The results are mostly pleasing and occasionally very funny (particularly whenever Manganiello pops up and Pee-wee tries to pronounce his name). But they also feel very familiar, something that flies in the face of the movie’s key theme about reinvention. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreMar 19, 2016
It’s not much of a movie, frankly. But our good will goes a long way where Pee Wee’s concerned. Herman appreciation is like love for Tinker Belle. If you want to like it enough, you will. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperMar 18, 2016
Pee-wee is still a startling and original and strangely endearing creation. He just deserved a funnier, more intriguing holiday. Read full review
50
USA TodayBrian TruittMar 17, 2016
Pee-wee Herman may still look good in his ill-fitting suit, but more than 30 years after first hitting the big screen, his antics haven’t aged well. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesRebecca KeeganMar 17, 2016
Despite a few delights — chiefly an adorably self-aware Joe Manganiello as the object of Pee-wee's man-crush — the new movie has an unsure tone and the barest thread of a story. Read full review
42
The PlaylistCharlie SchmidlinMar 18, 2016
The result, while featuring some superbly non-sequitur moments and gags, feels forced into a road trip package caught between self-awareness and naivety. Read full review
40
VarietyBrian LowryMar 17, 2016
The biggest surprise, frankly, might be that the funniest person here is frequently Manganiello. Indeed, the mere visual juxtaposition of the towering “Magic Mike” star and Reubens in the same frame together is practically a special effect in itself. Read full review
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