Big Top Pee-wee

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Big Top Pee-wee
Big Top Pee-wee film poster
Directed by	Randal Kleiser
Produced by	Debra Hill, Paul Reubens
Written by	Paul Reubens and George McGrath
Starring	Paul Reubens Penelope Ann Miller Valeria Golino Kris Kristofferson
Music by	Danny Elfman
Cinematography	Steven B. Poster
Editing by	Jeff Gourson
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date(s)	July 22, 1988
Running time	86 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	Unknown
Preceded by	Pee-wee's Big Adventure
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IMDb profile

Big Top Pee-wee is the 1988 family comedy sequel to the 1985 film, Pee-wee's Big Adventure, and stars Paul Reubens (as Pee-wee Herman), Penelope Ann Miller, Valeria Golino, and Kris Kristofferson. The original music score is composed by Danny Elfman. The film is marketed with the tagline "Hero. Lover. Legend."

Filming locations include Disney's Golden Oak Ranch near Santa Clarita, California, USA.

This Paramount Pictures production was directed by Randal Kleiser and written by Paul Reubens and George McGrath. Paul Reubens also co-produced the film with Debra Hill.

1 Characters
2 Plot summary
3 Trivia
4 External links

[edit] Characters

Pee-wee Herman - (Paul Reubens) an eccentric, childish farmer and scientist living on the outskirts of a small rural town.
Winnie Johnston - (Penelope Ann Miller) A school teacher and Pee-wee's fiancée.
Mace Montana - (Kris Kristofferson) the owner and operator of a traveling circus whose circus is blown onto Pee-wee's farm by a tornado.
Gina Piccolapupula - (Valeria Golino) a beautiful trapeze artist in Montana's circus that Pee-wee falls in love with.

[edit] Plot summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

On the morning after a tornado, farm boy Pee-wee Herman awakens to discover that a travelling circus has been deposited in his backyard. Befriended by circus owner Mace Montana, Pee-wee takes an acrobatic, hoping to impress Gina Piccolapupula, a lovely trapeze artist; thereby incurring the jealous rage of his hometown sweetie Winnie Johnston. When the circus is faced with bankruptcy, Pee-wee comes up with a brilliant idea: to stage a three-ring spectacular celebrating the wonders of agriculture. The problem is that the majority of the town's residents are disgruntled, uncaring people in their sixties who hate Pee-wee and have formerly asked the very circus Pee-wee is helping to leave.

[edit] Trivia

Big Top Pee-wee was Puerto Rican actor Benicio Del Toro's first feature film. He played Duke the Dog-Faced Boy.
Pee-wee does his famous dance upon a tight rope along with the music for a short time near the end of the movie but then stops after he nearly falls.
Despite the presence of Pee-wee Herman, this film has no link to either Pee-wee's Big Adventure or Pee-wee's Playhouse; even the character of Pee-Wee has been slightly modified, as here he lives on a farm and is a rancher/scientist/botanist, as opposed to the character's previous incarnations. The film is excerpted in one episode of Pee-wee's Playhouse.