Big Top Pee-wee (1988): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot
Big Top Pee-wee is a 1988 adventure comedy directed by Randal Kleiser, starring Kris Kristofferson, Valeria Golino and Penelope Ann Miller. It runs 1 hour 26 minutes and earned $15.1 million worldwide. Critics gave it 36% on Rotten Tomatoes and 42 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 5.1/10.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 26m (86 min)
- Director
- Randal Kleiser
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Paramount Pictures
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Big Top Pee-wee About?
The premise of Big Top Pee-wee without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
When a tornado sweeps a vibrant circus onto his farm, eccentric Pee-wee Herman finds his life delightfully disrupted. Befriending the charismatic Mace Montana and developing a romantic interest in the alluring trapeze artist Gina Piccolapuri, Pee-wee embraces the circus's arrival. However, he must contend with the doubts of the local townsfolk and defend his farm from those seeking to permanently close it down, leading to a series of humorous challenges and unexpected adventures.
Big Top Pee-wee Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- circus
- trapeze artist
- trapeze
- fat woman
- circus freak
- acrobat
- child
- names carved into a tree
- posing for a photo
- fiance fiancee relationship
- farm
- farmer
+38 more Show fewer
- traveling circus
- sight gag
- love triangle
- vincent the pig character
- vegetable
- hot dog tree
- egg salad sandwich
- miniatured wife
- husband carries wife in his pocket
- marriage
- male virgin
- loss of virginity
- symbolism
- tunnel
- fireworks
- train
- botanist
- campy
- slimehouse
- pee wee herman character
- small town
- storm
- sequel
- storm cellar
- seal the animal
- oath
- close up of a woman's cleavage
- giraffe
- elephant
- rooster
- vacation
- circus parade
- circus wagon
- husband wife relationship
- cage
- lion tamer
- reference to george washington carver
- lion
Big Top Pee-wee Cast
Kris Kristofferson leads the cast, with Valeria Golino and Penelope Ann Miller. Directed by Randal Kleiser; 10 actors are credited in all.
-
Director Randal Kleiser
Also Starring in Big Top Pee-wee
· 6 moreMore from Randal Kleiser
More films directed by Randal Kleiser, best-rated first: Grease, The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, Flight of the Navigator and White Fang.
Big Top Pee-wee Reviews & Ratings
Critics gave Big Top Pee-wee 36% on Rotten Tomatoes and 42 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 5.1/10.
-
IMDb 5.1 /10
See on IMDb -
Rotten Tomatoes 36% Tomatometer
Popcornmeter 30%
See on Rotten Tomatoes -
Metacritic 42 Metascore
User score 4.3
See on Metacritic -
TMDB 49% User score
See on TMDB
Big Top Pee-wee Plot Summary
What happens in Big Top Pee-wee from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 13 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Pee-wee Herman lives a peaceful life on his farm, where he tends to his vegetables and dreams of hitting it big as a singer. His days are filled with delightful lunches alongside his fiancée, Winnie Johnson, a dedicated schoolteacher. Pee-wee also engages in elaborate farming experiments inside his modern greenhouse, reveling in the simplicity of rural life. However, this calm is short-lived when local officials issue a warning about an imminent storm. Promptly, he races home to protect his beloved farm animals from the looming danger.
Full summary
The whole story of Big Top Pee-wee, scene by scene
Big Top Pee-wee Box Office
Big Top Pee-wee grossed $15.1 million worldwide.
Worldwide gross
$15.1M
- US & Canada
- $15.1M
Big Top Pee-wee Trailers & Videos
2 videos: 2 trailers.
- Trailer Big Top Pee-wee (1988) 35mm film trailer, flat open matte, 1440p
How Well Do You Know Big Top Pee-wee?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What does Pee-wee Herman dream of becoming?
Cars in Big Top Pee-wee
7 cars on screen, including the 1940 Ford 2-Ton and the Farmall Cub.
-
1940 Ford 2-Ton Important role -
Farmall Cub Minor role -
1948 Ford F-1 Minor role -
1956 International Harvester S-110 Minor role
Big Top Pee-wee Also Known As
10 alternative titles, including “Big Top Pee-wee - La mia vita picchiatella” and “Pee Wee nagy kalandja”.
- Also known as
-
- Big Top Pee-wee - La mia vita picchiatella
- Pee Wee nagy kalandja
- Pee-wee Herman w cyrku
- El gran Pee-wee
- El gran circo de Pee-Wee
- 小人物历险记
- Pee-wee: Meu Filme Circense
- Manege frei für Pee Wee
- ピーウィー・ハーマンの空飛ぶサーカス
- Коротышка – большая шишка
Seen Big Top Pee-wee?
Movies Like Big Top Pee-wee
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Pee-wee's Big Holiday and Peck’s Bad Boy with the Circus.
Big Top Pee-wee FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Runtime
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings and post-credit scenes of Big Top Pee-wee, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Big Top Pee-wee?
Big Top Pee-wee runs 1 hour 26 minutes (86 minutes).
When was Big Top Pee-wee released?
Big Top Pee-wee was released on July 22, 1988.
Who directed Big Top Pee-wee?
Big Top Pee-wee was directed by Randal Kleiser.
More films by Randal Kleiser Who is in the cast of Big Top Pee-wee?
Big Top Pee-wee stars Kris Kristofferson, Valeria Golino and Penelope Ann Miller, among 10 credited actors.
How much did Big Top Pee-wee make at the box office?
Big Top Pee-wee grossed $15.1 million worldwide.
How is Big Top Pee-wee rated?
Big Top Pee-wee has 5.1/10 on IMDb, 36% on Rotten Tomatoes, 42 on Metacritic and 49% on TMDB.
Does Big Top Pee-wee have a post-credit scene?
No. Big Top Pee-wee has no extra scene during or after the credits.
Coming soon to your phone
The Plot Explained Movie Summary App
From blockbusters to hidden gems: plot summaries, endings explained and timelines on your phone. Save your favorites and never miss a twist again.
Be the first to know when it launches. Your email stays private, always. Learn more about the app
