Pee-wee as Himself

Last updated

Pee-wee as Himself
Pee-wee as Himself.jpg
Directed by Matt Wolf
Music by
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes2
Production
Executive producers
Producer Emma Tillinger Koskoff
CinematographyDavid Paul Jacobson
EditorDamian Rodriguez
Running time100–102 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network HBO
ReleaseMay 23, 2025 (2025-05-23)

Pee-wee as Himself is a 2025 American documentary series directed and produced by Matt Wolf. It follows the life and career of actor and comedian Paul Reubens, best known for portraying the character Pee-wee Herman.

Contents

It was released on May 23, 2025, on HBO and Max. [1] [2]

Premise

Pee-wee as Himself explores the life and career of actor Paul Reubens.

In the documentary, Reubens came out publicly as gay in interviews taped before his death in 2023. [3] Reubens' sexuality had been discussed by certain outlets in the context of his 2002 arrest, though he had not publicly come out at that point; [4] in the film, he notes that at various times in his life he had been in and out of the closet. [3]

Production

In March 2021, it was announced Matt Wolf would direct a documentary revolving around Paul Reubens for HBO Documentary Films, with Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie set to executive produce under their Elara Pictures banner, and Emma Tillinger Koskoff to produce. [5] In November 2024, the project was titled Pee-wee as Himself. [6]

Wolf spent over 40 hours interviewing Reubens, and was given access to the actor's large collection of photographs and video footage. The film includes a final message from Reubens, recorded the day before his death; he discusses his 1991 and 2002 arrests and the damage they did to his reputation, blaming homophobia for the tabloid fallout in both cases. [7]

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byOriginal release dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Part One" Matt Wolf May 23, 2025 (2025-05-23)0.153 [8]
Reubens discusses his childhood, his beginnings in comedy, the origins of Pee-wee Herman, and the creation of Pee-wee's Big Adventure . Throughout the documentary, Reubens has some clashes with Wolf over his interview style and his inability to have creative control.
2"Part Two"Matt WolfMay 23, 2025 (2025-05-23)0.133 [8]
Reubens discusses working on Pee-wee's Playhouse and the failure of Big Top Pee-wee . Reubens' friends and colleagues talk about his scandals and arrests and his return to playing Pee-wee. At the end, a caption reveals that after 40 hours, Reubens refused to talk about the scandals, and one last voicemail from him recorded the day before his death is played.

Release

It had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2025. [9] [10]

Reception

Critical reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating based on 49 critic reviews. The website's critical consensus states, "Blessed to have the late Paul Reubens feature in candid conversation, Pee-wee as Himself is a revelatory glimpse at the complicated man behind a beloved comic creation." [11] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave a score of 82 out of 100 based on 18 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". [12]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
2025
 Gotham TV Awards Outstanding Original Film, Broadcast, or Streaming Matt Wolf and Emma Tillinger Koskoff Won [13] [14]
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Matt Wolf, Ronald Bronstein, Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie, Paul Reubens, and Candace TomarkenPending [15]
[16]
Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program Matt WolfPending
Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program Damian RodriguezPending
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program Daniel Timmons, Ian Cymore, Ryan Billia, Jeremy S. Bloom, Kelly Rodriguez, Eric Caudieux, and Jonathan ZalbenPending
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program Johnny MathiePending
TCA Awards Outstanding Achievement in News and Information Pee-wee as HimselfWon [17]

References

  1. ↑ "What's New On Max This May". Warner Bros. Discovery . April 21, 2025. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  2. ↑ "'Pee-Wee as Himself' trailer: Meet Paul Reubens, the genius behind your favorite playhouse". Mashable . April 23, 2025. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Pee-wee Herman star Paul Reubens comes out gay posthumously". The Advocate. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  4. ↑ Goldstein, Richard (January 14, 2003). "Persecuting Pee-wee Herman". The Village Voice . Retrieved October 13, 2008.
  5. ↑ Kroll, Justin (March 11, 2021). "HBO Planning Documentary On Actor Paul Reubens With Josh & Benny Safdie Producing". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Max Unveils New Brand Spot With Never-Before-Seen Footage From HBO And Max Originals". Warner Bros. Discovery . November 10, 2024. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  7. ↑ Brennan, Matt (January 23, 2025). "In deathbed audio, Paul Reubens recalled pain of being falsely labeled a pedophile". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved April 28, 2025.
  8. 1 2 Pucci, Douglas (May 27, 2025). "Friday Ratings: Pacers-Knicks NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game Two on TNT Sports Improves Upon Game One Audience". Programming Insider. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Pee-Wee as Himself". Sundance Film Festival . Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  10. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (December 11, 2024). "Sundance 2025: JLo, Sly Stone, Putin, Ayo Edebiri, André Holland, & Ex-NZ PM Jacinda Ardern Films Among Park City Festival Offerings". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Pee-wee as Himself: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Pee-wee as Himself: Season 1". Metacritic . Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  13. ↑ Lewis, Hilary (April 29, 2025). "Gotham TV Awards Nominations: 'Adolescence' Leads With Four Nods". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  14. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (June 2, 2025). "Gotham TV Awards: 'The Studio' Named Breakthrough Comedy Series Among Early Winners". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Pee-wee as Himself". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. July 15, 2025. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  16. ↑ Mullen, Pat (July 15, 2025). "Pee-Wee as Himself Leads Documentary Emmy Nominations". POV. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  17. ↑ Schneider, Michael (August 20, 2025). "'The Pitt' Dominates 2025 Television Critics Association Awards With Four Wins". Variety . Retrieved August 20, 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.