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CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION | ||
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Positive:
19
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews
May 22, 2025
Season 1 Review:
It might not have worked out exactly the way Reubens wanted, but Pee-wee as Himself does bring that message ["was based in love, and my desire to entertain and bring glee and creativity to young people and to everyone"] to long-time fans as well as future ones, who will hopefully be able to appreciate what Reubens gave us while he was still here.
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May 20, 2025
Season 1 Review:
Wolf seems to have accomplished what he set out to do, getting to know the purposefully enigmatic guy behind the character—at least as much as anyone reasonably could—and earning some of his trust. That Pee-wee As Himself doesn’t end there but with colorful bursts of joy, wonder, and appreciation for the work Reubens left behind speaks volumes.
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RogerEbert.comMay 23, 2025
The PlaylistJan 29, 2025
Season 1 Review:
It’s probably not the doc HBO and Wolf likely originally envisioned. But documentary filmmaking is a process of discovery, so good on Wolf for embracing Reuben’s wariness and integrating the doubt into the fabric of Pee-Wee’s complicated and engaging personal story.
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Screen RantAug 29, 2025
Season 1 Review:
Pee-wee as Himself is a beautiful tribute that seeks to hone in on Reubens' complex private life, delivering insights far beyond anything he shared over his lengthy career. The editing perfectly frames the story, while ensuring the color, noise, and wacky nature of the man are not absent.
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May 23, 2025
Season 1 Review:
Wolf’s two-part film does justice to its subject’s thoroughly sui generis artistry — a rare blend of experimental performance, broad comedy and high, queer camp that caught imaginations of all ages — while giving due scrutiny to the off-screen legal troubles that unfairly threw his career off-course.
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May 22, 2025
Season 1 Review:
Slightly less buoyant [than "Pee-wee's Playhouse"] is “Pee-wee as Himself,” director Matt Wolf’s biography of the childlike character’s creator and alter ego, Paul Reubens, although revisiting the television show—its creation, construction and cast—is a delight. So are the clips and photos tracking the actor’s life and career.
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Jan 29, 2025
Season 1 Review:
Wolf has made a documentary that stands up well alongside HBO’s recent run of “Difficult Funny Men” documentaries focused on the likes of Garry Shandling and George Carlin. As seen here, Reubens was difficult and welcoming, juvenile and reflective, brilliant and flawed, and I’m betting an entirely different documentary could have been made about him as an entirely different person, which only adds to the fascination.
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May 21, 2025
Season 1 Review:
It’s an unusually thoughtful, provocative and honest. .... The first part of “Pee-wee as Himself” is stronger than the second. .... But the film manages to maintain the constant push-pull between Reubens’ desire for success and his longing for something resembling a private life.
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Jan 30, 2025
Season 1 Review:
Wolf shot 40 hours of interviews and had access to countless photographs, hours of archival footage, and more. He assembles the content shrewdly, making the first part which traces the rise of Reubens, great fun. .... Difficult episodes in Reubens’ life are shoehorned into the film’s last half hour and show how Reubens once again lost control but found resilience.
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