I woke up to the news Monday that Paul Reubens, best known for creating and playing the character of Pee-Wee Herman, had died at 70, after privately fighting a bout of cancer.
A friend posted on Facebook today that he loved Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (as do I) and was tired of people dragging Reubens for his 1991 indecent exposure charge (written about in the linked article above). He argues that we shouldn't let Reubens' mistakes be the only thing we want to remember about him. Who among us wants to be remembered for our mistakes?
That got me to thinking: Why do I love Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (and Pee-Wee as a character) so much?
It's because he was happy.
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure centers on a lot of people who are really, really happy being who they are and are happy doing what they're doing. Chuck loves his role at the bicycle store. Mario seems happy as a clam in his magic shop. The BMX kids love their bikes. The kids on the street loved seeing Pee-Wee crash on his. The bum was really happy roaming the rails and finding a new companion to sing along with him. Even the tour guide at the Alamo was happy, remembering not to chew her gum and getting the visitors to say "adobe" in choir along with her.
The only really unhappy figure in the film is Francis, who thinks he wants Pee-Wee's bike, but when he gets it he realizes he isn't any happier than he was before.
As Pee-Week seeks to restore his happiness by getting his bike, he helps Simone around her big but. He intensifies his loner, rebellious persona for Dottie, always besotted with him. He blows the biker gang away with his dancing. And he let that bum sing a long time before he jumped off the train.
Why shouldn't we love and admire a story that has happiness and contentment at its core?
That's how I'll remember Pee-Wee, and Paul Reubens. Because both made me happy.
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