NPR

'Pee-wee as Himself' is a portrait of a private man and his public alter ego

Pee-wee As Himself tells the story of how a kid who grew up adoring The Little Rascals and I Love Lucy went on to revolutionize sketch comedy and children's television. In 1986, one of the most ...
NPR

'Pee-wee as Himself' is a portrait of a private man and his public alter ego

In 1986, one of the most unusual and iconic kids' TV shows debuted. (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PEE-WEE'S PLAYHOUSE THEME") PAUL REUBENS: (As Pee-wee Herman) Hey. CYNDI LAUPER: (Singing) Come in and pull ...
The Boston Globe

‘Pee-wee as Himself’ is a bittersweet look at the price of fame

The two-part HBO documentary series, “Pee-wee as Himself” follows in the footsteps of “Faye,” “Sly,” and “Martha”; that is, it’s a film where the subject speaks for himself in interviews conducted by ...
Los Angeles Times

‘Pee-wee as Himself’ gives Paul Reubens the final word on his identity

“I was born in 1938 in a little house on the edge of the Mississippi River; my father worked on a steamboat and his name was Steamboat Milton,” says Paul Reubens by way of misdirection in Matt Wolf’s ...
The Spokesman-Review

What to stream: ‘Pee-wee as Himself’ and the best of Paul Reubens

The new two-part documentary “Pee-wee as Himself” premiered on HBO and Max on May 23, a complex portrait of a complicated man, Paul Reubens, who found fame as his alter ego, Pee-wee Herman, and ...
Los Angeles Times

Everyone knew Pee-wee Herman. But few knew the man behind the man-child

The first time we see Paul Reubens in the documentary “Pee-wee as Himself,” he is not playing Pee-wee Herman, the antic man-child he portrayed in comedy routines, movies, a children’s TV show and most ...