Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

TIM BURTON – PEE WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE – 1985

That sure is a comedy, what do I say, a farce indeed in Molière’s style, and as they say in French “Bonjour les dégâts!” meaning something like “Good Morning Vietnam!” I must say there is no logic, no real development of any theme at all, except absurdity and tomfoolery, maybe some masquerade and charade in shambles. And it is funny just because it is absurd.

But really what’s left at the end of it, will you ask or shouldn’t I say shall you ask? Life us absurd. We knew that. Crooks end up in prison. Let me doubt that one. Love is number one human interest. Ah Ah maybe in Hollywood but is it for real in life? Let me be dubitative, or is it doubtful I should say? Some physical episode maybe but Pee-Wee loves his dog and his bike more than anything and anyone else. Love is mental not physical like they pretend in Hollywood.

The film then is some good exercise of a rookie director who is learning his job and tries to make teenagers and children laugh. A dinosaur in your cup of tea is always funny and a few snakes in your hands will make any infant laugh like hell. Or be frightened to high heavens.

Some will say we have all the magic of Tim Burton in this old film. I don’t think so. Tim Burton’s art is not in this twisted absurd story but in the spirituality he will often reach beyond the surface of things. And here the spirituality is rather light and the surface is rarely pushed aside to get something more empathetic and sweetly cultural.

The only moment I see something deeper is when he makes fun of Hollywood. That is both deserved and justified. Hollywood has to put some flesh on this absurd skeleton of a story and that flesh is a couple of kiss, a lascivious girl friend and some hot steam we can imagine in the background, though we know better and the pee-wee actor and his girl friend actress are only making out for the screen and in real life they may hate each other, the man may prefer men and the woman may prefer women. Make believe and nothing else. But the real Pee Wee is just the same. Make believe and nothing else.

Well, I guess the first steps of Tim Burton were not yet very brilliant as for the mental side of things. I guess he could not go lower and he was bound to improve. See you in the next episode.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU