Pee-wee Herman is now a small-town farmer with a fiancée, but when a traveling circus comes to town, he finds himself falling for the trapeze artist.
Our favorite trailers of the week include a double dose of Samuel L. Jackson, and a live-action remake.
Related News
-
Benicio Del Toro movies: Top 10 greatest films ranked worst to best
20 February 2019 | Gold Derby -
Benicio Del Toro movies: 10 greatest films, ranked worst to best, include ‘Traffic,’ ‘Sicario,’ ‘The Usual Suspects’
19 February 2019 | Gold Derby -
Here’s What You Can Stream With Your Amazon Prime Membership in September
17 August 2018 | The Wrap
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: Big Top Pee-wee (1988)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
1 nomination.
See more awards »
Learn more
More Like This
The Pee Wee Herman Show
(TV Movie 1981)
Comedy
Directors:
Paul Reubens,
Marty Callner
Stars:
Paul Reubens,
John Moody,
John Paragon
The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway
(TV Movie 2011)
Comedy
Director:
Marty Callner
Stars:
Paul Reubens,
John Moody,
Drew Powell
Hot to Trot
(1988)
Comedy
|
Fantasy
Director:
Michael Dinner
Stars:
Bobcat Goldthwait,
Dabney Coleman,
John Candy
Back to the Beach
(1987)
Comedy
|
Musical
Director:
Lyndall Hobbs
Stars:
Frankie Avalon,
Annette Funicello,
Lori Loughlin
Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Paul Reubens | ... | Pee-wee Herman (as Pee-wee Herman) | |
| Penelope Ann Miller | ... | Winnie | |
| Kris Kristofferson | ... | Mace Montana | |
| Valeria Golino | ... | Gina Piccolapupula | |
| Wayne White | ... | Vance the Pig (voice) | |
| Susan Tyrrell | ... | Midge Montana | |
 |
Albert Henderson | ... | Mr. Ryan |
|
|
Jack Murdock | ... | Otis |
|
|
David Byrd | ... | Deke |
| Mary Jackson | ... | Mrs. Dill | |
| Frances Bay | ... | Mrs. Haynes | |
| Leo Gordon | ... | Joe the Blacksmith (as Leo V. Gordon) | |
| Anne Seymour | ... | Pearl | |
| Kenneth Tobey | ... | Sheriff | |
| Jay Robinson | ... | Cook | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
See All (72) »
Storyline
In the sequel to "Pee Wee's Big Adventure", Pee-Wee Herman has had enough with the fame and constant media attention he received after the events of the first movie, so he's now a simple farmer living quietly in a small town. But after a big storm blows their way, a circus ends up at Pee Wee's farm. So he lets the circus stay at his farm for a while. The circus decides to put on a show with one lovable star, Pee-Wee! Also, a love triangle develops between Pee-Wee, his nice fiancée Winnie, who's the local schoolteacher, and mysterious loner Gina, the circus' attractive trapeze artist. The outcome of this subplot is somewhat unexpected. Written by James Preston
Plot Keywords:
circus | trapeze artist | trapeze | punctuation in title | hyphen in title |Taglines:
Hero. Lover. Legend.Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
Edit
Edit
See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
22 July 1988 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Big Top Pee-wee - La mia vita picchiatella See more »Edit
Box Office
Gross USA:
$15,122,324Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
DolbyColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
See more »
Written by Danny Elfman
Performed by Paul Reubens (as Pee-Wee Herman)
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The teaser trailer features no footage from the film, only Paul Reubens, as Pee-wee Herman, addressing the audience about the details of his latest film. It debuted in theaters in December 1987, a month before production began. Neither this teaser nor the full trailer appear on the DVD, although both are searchable online. The former appears at the beginning of the VHS for Beverly Hills Cop II (1987). See more »Goofs
When PeeWee and Winnie are eating lunch, some of Winnie's egg salad sandwich falls on PeeWee's face and jacket. He wipes his face on her dress, but in the next shot it's not on her dress or his jacket. See more »Quotes
Mr. Ryan: [Sees Pee-wee reading a magazine in his store] I hope your planning to buy that magazine, Pee-wee. This ain't no Library.See more »
Crazy Credits
The film opens with the late 1950's Paramount logo. See more »Soundtracks
The Girl On The Flying TrapezeWritten by Danny Elfman
Performed by Paul Reubens (as Pee-Wee Herman)
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.Contribute to This Page
IMDb Special Correspondent Dave Karger breaks down eight first-time acting nominees at this year's Oscars, including Rami Malek, Olivia Colman, and Regina King.
Enjoy a night in with these popular movies available to stream now with Prime Video.
Sequel falls short largely because of stasis -- even though its's a circus theme, the writers/producers kept ALL the action on Pee Wee's farm, unlike the original which was a road trip film. Like the original, many bizarre touches are present and Reuben's portrayal is amusing. Here he's a bit more seedy, including a very funny hair fetish. The romance is unbelievable, though, because unlike the original, here Pee Wee is coupled with two supermodel class ladies. Fine direction, decent acting, lots of freaks. Kristofferson is funny as the perpetual man who knows where everybody should go (he plays that one a lot) in this case with a midget wife who's very very small. Pleasing otherworldly atmosphere enhanced by the circus theme -- if only the producers had sprung for a TRAVELLING circus! Still, this one didn't deserve the acid reviews and fan neglect it received on initial release, and should be given a fair look by fans of Reubens' neo-vaudeville comedy.