There’s a straight line from Pee-wee’s Playhouse to Jackass, SpongeBob, and even early Kanye. It’s funny. It’s sad. It’s weird. And it’s exactly how Paul Reubens would’ve wanted it.
Thanks to Jason Kottke for putting this one on my radar.
Trailer for “Pee-wee as Himself”
You Can’t Make This Sh!t Up
- Reubens was secretly gay and battling cancer. He never disclosed publicly before his death. He kept both private from almost everyone, including close friends.
- The series ends with a final voicemail Reubens left the day before he died. In it, he blames homophobia for how his career was derailed by his 1991 and 2002 arrests.
- He and the director argue on camera about who gets to tell the story. Reubens tries to direct the doc from inside the interview.
Watch “Pee-wee as Himself”
You can watch “Pee-wee as Himself” on HBO Max and Amazon Prime.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 90/100
- IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 93/100 (Users); 100/100 (Critics)
Director’s Note: Directed by Matt Wolf (“Spaceship Earth”, “Wild Combination”). This is one of the rare docs where the subject challenges the director on-screen. That tension makes it feel more alive. It’s a doc that keeps mutating, just like Pee-wee himself.
Release Date: January 2025 (HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video)
My Review of “Pee-wee as Himself”
The Setup
This is a power struggle between the filmmaker and the subject. Paul Reubens sits for 40 hours of interviews but keeps interrupting, questioning the questions, and trying to direct the whole thing. The doc jumps between his childhood, his Groundlings days, the rise of Pee-wee Herman, his arrests, his fall, and his late-in-life battle with cancer—all with Reubens trying to keep his secrets while also finally breaking his silence.
More Highlights from the Doc
- 40 hours of interviews were filmed with Reubens—some of them include him in costume as Pee-wee, others as himself, jumping between performance and real life.
- Reubens talks openly about his rise with The Groundlings, the origin of the Pee-wee character, and his fame explosion with “Pee-wee’s Playhouse.”
- The doc doesn’t shy away from the scandals: his 1991 arrest in an adult theater and the 2002 child pornography charges (which were later dropped). He finally explains how both events affected him emotionally and professionally.
- The split between Reubens and his public persona becomes a central tension. He even refers to Pee-wee in the third person, as if he’s watching him from the outside.
- We get behind-the-scenes footage from “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” his early Letterman appearances, and never-before-seen rehearsal tapes.
Cameos
- Archival clips include David Letterman, Phil Hartman, Cyndi Lauper, and Elvira (Cassandra Peterson).
- Director Matt Wolf appears frequently—not just behind the camera but in direct verbal clashes with Reubens over editing choices and narrative tone.
- Longtime friends and collaborators appear in voiceover or photos, but Reubens himself remains the main voice throughout.
Lesser-Known Details from the Doc
- Reubens refused to let HBO or Amazon promote the series before his death—he wanted full creative control first.
- He viewed Pee-wee as a protective shield—something he could use to survive Hollywood while hiding his true self.
- He had been journaling his life story privately for over a decade. Much of the interview content comes from prompts he wrote himself.
Wrap Up
“Pee-wee as Himself” shows you who Paul Reubens was. And it lets him try to tell you himself, flaws and all. It’s as meta, messy, and moving as the man behind the bowtie.
Thanks for reading!
Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, Daily Doc