“Daddy, do grown ups do birthday parties?,” Charlie asked me as went to pick up his brother from a birthday party.
The question was top of mind as we had just had a fun date night making dinner together and watching Pee Wee’s Big Holiday on Netflix.
Family time is important, but so is one-on-one time. I had a good run of Zacharie time, coaching h’s soccer time the past few months, but I’ve missed some one-on-one time with Charlie. So, when my wife had a work event, and Z had a birthday party to attend to, Charlie and I decided to have a fun date night.
The movie revolves around Pee Wee leaving Fairville for the first time and going on a road trip to see his new famous friend, Joe Manganiello, in New York for Joe’s birthday party.
So Charlie was wondering if grown-ups have real birthday parties like he and his friends do, and like Pee Wee and his friend did in the movie. Of course we do, just not as often or as fancy as he gets, I explained. But sometimes, for a big number, we have a big party like Joe had.
That was an easy answer to give him. Trying to explain why Joe and Pee Wee sticking a straw in a root beer barrel candy was funny was a little more circuitous. One on one time, deep questions, and being silly on the couch, Charlie and I had a blast.
Our friends at the Netflix Stream Team sent us a big box filled with fun to make Pee Wee’s Big Holiday even bigger. With different scenes in the movie, we opened different boxes revealing stickers, friendship bracelets, banners, tshirts, and … a milk shake recipe!
We made it just like Pee Wee, and it was delicious!
The movie is very Pee Wee. He’s positive, naive, silly, quirky, and along his road trip he meets equally unique characters. It teaches kids a great lesson about meeting people. Pee Wee always finds the good in everyone he meets, from out of work accountants living as mountain hermits to tough as nails bank robbers.
But it’s his encounter with the Amish that Charlie found the funniest. It’s a scene that only Paul Reubens could master; 3 minutes of blowing up a balloon and letting the air out with goofy faces and gestures.
We’ve already replayed it half a dozen times to genuine lulz.
Some of the jokes might fly over the heads of some kids, and even though Judd Apatow is a producer, things don’t get more out of hand than the busty bank robbers and their friends having a pillow fight in their underwear.
The movie is classic Pee Wee with sight gags, ridiculous kid humour, and lots of smiles. Immediately after the movie was over, and we went back to the Netflix menu, Charlie saw the other Pee Wee offerings and announced: “Let’s watch Pee Wee’s Playhouse!”
Which we did, which sent me to Google. The original Pee Wee’s Playhouse ran from 1986-1990. It’s THIRTY years old, which makes Paul Reubens 63. Wow. And apart from a little extra makeup to cover the wrinkles, he’s still got it.
Looking for some one-on-one time with your boys? Dial up Pee Wee’s Big Holiday on Netflix, and make sure you’ve got some balloons handy.
Disclosure: I’m a member of the Netflix Stream Team.