Pee-wee's Big Holiday

Paul Reubens's quirky alter ego makes a welcome return in his first film since 1988's Big Top Pee-wee. Neither age nor maturity have withered the playhouse-dwelling manchild, who is now living a contented life flipping pancakes in cosy Fairville. Into town rides hunky screen star Joe Manganiello (playing himself) and an unlikely bromance is forged, prompting Pee-wee to hit the road to attend his new friend's birthday bash in far-off New York. Repeating the same odd fish-navigating-strange-waters formula as 1985's Pee-wee's Big Adventure, this episodic romp is populated by a memorable assortment of goofball characters, including a shotgun-wielding farmer and his nine amorous daughters, plus a trio of buxom bad-ass babes straight out of Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!. An appreciation of Reubens's kitsch-loving schtick is an advantage but not essential as there are some big laughs to be had along Pee-wee's journey, not least a comedy masterclass in the art of balloon deflation.