“Pee-wee as Himself” reveals Paul Reubens’ struggle for control — on and off screen

As Pee-wee Herman, Paul Reubens was a performance artist hiding in plain sight in mainstream popular culture. His fictional character, a hyperactive, bow-tied man-child, provided subversive messages about nonconformity in films such as “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” and his classic Saturday morning TV show, “Pee-wee’s Playhouse.” Fans adored his playful insouciance as he celebrated difference and inclusivity. 

But as shown in Matt Wolf’s riveting 2-part documentary, “Pee-wee as Himself,” which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Reubens lost himself as he found fame as his alter ego. That point is driven home several times in the film, most notably when Reubens chooses his career over a personal life. As a gay man, Reubens went “back into the closet” after a relationship ended, seeking fame instead of family. How much of Pee-wee is Reubens or how much of Reubens is Pee-wee is left for audiences to deduce. But Reubens does show how at least one of Pee-wee’s mannerisms was stolen from his ex, Guy. 

Reubens’ sexuality is not a big revelation in the film. He enthuses that he “likes to decorate,” and nudges viewers to draw their own conclusions. It is amusing to see young Reubens in drag as a kid at Halloween, or playing a Cher-inspired mermaid in a video he made while at college. Reubens even brags about kissing all 600 students at Cal Arts, where he went to school. 

But is Reubens an unreliable narrator in his own documentary? “Pee-wee as Himself” flirts with this idea as Reubens deadpans his way through interviews, cheekily asking, “Is that true?” to the camera at times, almost daring Wolf and viewers to take the bait. There is friction between the filmmaker and his subject throughout the doc, especially when Reubens wonders, “What do I have to do to prove that I don’t trust you?” Significantly, Part One opens with Reubens acknowledging that, “You are not supposed to control your own documentary . . . because you don’t have perspective on yourself.” Whereas Part Two opens with Reubens Face Timing Wolf and asking if he can pose questions to the talking head interviewees. Wolf flatly (and appropriately) denies his request. Reubens makes it clear that he approves what topics are discussed, and what stories are told, even if he can’t control what is said or how the film is edited. 

Wolf shot 40 hours of interviews and had access to countless photographs, hours of archival footage, and more. He assembles the content shrewdly, making the first part which traces the rise of Reubens, great fun, drawing connections to how Reubens’ worldview was shaped. There are some insights into his family — his macho father is an “Indiana Jones . . . with chutzpah,” who was very supportive of Paul and his endeavors. Reubens talks about putting on plays as a kid and loving TV shows like “Howdy Doody,” “Captain Kangaroo” and the “Little Rascals,” as well as the circus after the family moved to Sarasota, Florida, a base for Ringling Brothers. 

Wolf also traces how Reubens developed Pee-wee from some amazing and unexpected influences, including punk cartoonists (who designed his TV show’s sets), and Andy Warhol/Paul Morrissey films. When Reubens boasts about a 2-minute sequence of a dog eating from a bowl of food on “Playhouse” as being “Warholian,” it makes sense, and shows how Reubens had the power and the liberty to do almost anything on his hit series. 

Reubens’ show business origins are also fascinating. He was performing comedy routines on “The Gong Show” and with the Groundlings improv troupe to hone his comic skills. (He also appeared as Pee-wee on “The Dating Game,” to develop the character.) Reubens can be charming talking about “finding a character” just by putting on a ratty wig, and candid when he admits that Jay Longtoe — his Native American lounge singer character — was racist. But he can also be annoying, interrupting Wolf or repeating what Wolf says, when the director is interviewing him. Is Reubens ever not performing his performance art? 

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“Pee-wee as Himself,” touches on the highs and lows of Reubens’ life and career prior to his fame. He gets a call to work with Steve Martin. He loses his ex to AIDS. And he fails an audition for “Saturday Night Live,” which crushes him but also spurs Reubens to forge his own career.

Wolf deftly uses videos of Reubens performing to illustrate his points, but it is a photograph that best shows the actor’s ability to “pull focus.” In a quick shot of a “Pee-wee” cast photo, Reubens stares at the camera looking almost confrontational and at odds with what everyone else is doing in the image. It shows how as a comic he could sneakily steal a scene, and yet it is also the antithesis of his narcissistic, always-the-center-of-attention, Pee-wee. This is perhaps the film’s biggest disclosure: Reubens is always passive-aggressively controlling. 

His “Playhouse” stage show castmates were unhappy with him getting all the credit, but the performer chalks it up to “show business.” He even became estranged from Phil Hartman, holding a grudge when his friend left “Playhouse” to do “Saturday Night Live.” And when “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” becomes a hit film, Reubens remains bitter that director Tim Burton received most of the creative credit for the film Reubens co-wrote (with Hartman and Michael Varhol.) 

The film chronicles how Reubens becomes so consumed by his character that he has no life of his own. Yes, Reubens’ life/work balance evaporates when he starts working on his TV show, but is his being swallowed by his alter ego also a form of self-loathing? Again, the answer is deliberately ambiguous.

Part Two gets into the most difficult aspects of Reubens’ life. He feels pressure with “Playhouse,” and when he drops his manager, they engage in lawsuits. (What transpired is not disclosed). He has a flop with his film, “Big Top Pee-wee,” which humbles him. Then there is the notorious arrest that destroyed his career. Wolf recounts the episode but does not probe too deeply. Reubens remains sympathetic during the arrest account, but the incident is mostly used to address Reubens losing his anonymity and control rather than the events themselves. And while Pee-wee and Reubens both eventually have a comeback, the actor’s life is derailed yet again when a police search of his home results in a trumped-up charge of child pornography. (It was later reduced to a misdemeanor obscenity charge, but it still called Reubens’ character into question.) 

These difficult episodes in Reubens’ life are shoehorned into the film’s last half hour and show how Reubens once again lost control but found resilience. It does hint at the question, “What would his career have been if these things never happened?” But Reubens just emphasizes that he wants folks to know that he is not a pedophile. 

The actor’s goal in making this documentary is that people who view “Pee-wee as Himself,” see Reubens for who he “really” is. And while Wolf gives Reubens the opportunity to do that, the subject at times remains characteristically coy. The film’s curious ending is oddly bittersweet. 

Reubens was incredibly secretive — about his sexuality and about his six-year-long battle with cancer, which is mentioned in the film, but not discussed. Wolf makes a concerted effort to get at the truth, but Reubens, like the impish Pee-wee, remains guarded. He is a control freak.  

“Pee-wee as Himself” is, ultimately, a peculiar celebrity profile because its subject hides almost as much as it reveals. 

“Pee-wee as Himself” is screening now at the Sundance Film Festival and will be available to stream on Max later this year.