Much to the chagrin of my Mom, growing up Follin meant you were well versed in Pee-wee Herman.  Not only did my Dad have the VHS of “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” but he also had recorded tapes filled with the WAY before it’s time “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” and I just watched these tapes over and over again as a kid (along with Who’s Harry Crumb, The Karate Kid, and Raising Arizona).   It’s hard to say if I would be as mesmerized by Big Adventure if I saw it for the first time today, but regardless I can’t turn it off if I come across it on cable. My crush on Dottie has proved eternal and Large Marge still scares the shit out of me.

Predictably, Big Holiday falls well short of Big Adventure’s hi jinx and heart, but it’s still worth seeing if you aren’t too high brow for Pee-wee’s humor (I know he’s not for everyone).  There’s a two minute scene simply involving Pee-wee and a balloon that might be the funniest thing I’ve seen all year.  Streaming on Netflix.  Tier 6