On a recent long flight, I tried to sleep, but instead ended up binging a bunch of movies. That’s when I stumbled across a documentary on Pee Wee Herman, and I was instantly curious. I’d grown up watching Pee Wee’s Playhouse and was vaguely aware of the indecent exposure scandal that derailed his career, but beyond that, I didn’t really know anything about Paul Reubens himself.

Pee Wee Herman as Himself, a two-part documentary produced by Matt Wolf and released on HBO on May 23, 2025, pulls back the curtain on Reubens’ life. It follows his journey from circus beginnings to avant-garde theater and highlights the personal costs of stepping away from his legendary alter ego.

Pee Wee Herman as Himself makes a bold case: Paul Reubens’ most powerful act wasn’t creating Pee Wee, but ultimately choosing to let him go. The film’s central argument revolves around the struggle between persona and authenticity, asking what it costs an artist when their creation eclipses their true self—and what it means to reclaim that identity.

Identity and duality dominate, as Reubens reflects on the divide between his private life and his public image. From his beginnings in experimental theater to his breakthrough in mainstream entertainment, the difficult decision to step away from Pee Wee, Reubens still kept a locked key on certain aspects of his life. Visually, the film captures the contrast between Pee Wee’s surreal, colorful universe and the quieter reality of Reubens himself. This deliberate shift highlights the gap between the whimsical persona and the man behind the bow tie.

The interviews form the film’s emotional backbone. Collaborators, friends, and cultural commentators place Reubens’ artistry within a larger history of performance and television, while Reubens himself offers an unfiltered look into the personality few knew. Together, they build a portrait that balances celebration of Pee Wee’s cultural impact with an honest examination of the personal toll it took.

The greatest strength of Pee Wee Herman as Himself lies in its unfiltered portrayal of Paul Reubens. Viewers are given rare access to who he actually was, with candid insights that strip away the layers of performance. The inclusion of his family and close friends grounds the film with warmth and loyalty, underscoring the support system that carried him through career highs and personal challenges. Perhaps most striking are the previously unseen photos and videos from his early years, which not only document his evolution as a performer but also humanize a figure who often felt larger than life.

Still, the documentary is not without its shortcomings. For all its openness, there are moments where Reubens’ control over the narrative is palpable. Certain personal topics—reportedly agreed upon with the producer—remained off-limits, creating frustrating gaps in an otherwise revealing portrait. A particularly sensitive area involves the controversies surrounding his arrest. While Reubens directly states he was not guilty of pedophilia, the film skirts around addressing whether he had indeed exposed himself in an adult theater, leaving an ambiguous silence where clarity might have strengthened the documentary’s credibility.

The target audience is clearly those who grew up with Pee Wee Herman’s world. Reubens was an unmistakable part of 1980s pop culture, especially for children who tuned in to Pee Wee’s Playhouse or delighted in Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. The documentary leans into that nostalgia, celebrating his influence on a generation while situating him as both a cultural icon and a deeply complicated artist.

Despite a few minor shortcomings, Pee Wee Herman as Himself was a compelling and insightful watch. I genuinely enjoyed learning about the man behind the bow tie, from his early circus days to the creative decisions that shaped Pee Wee Herman into an enduring cultural icon. One of the most powerful aspects of the documentary is seeing how Reubens’ friends and family continued to support him, holding him up when the world tried to bring him down. Beyond nostalgia for Pee Wee’s Playhouse, I would recommend this documentary to anyone interested in the progression of LGBTQ representation and the tribulations that came with it, as it touches on broader themes of identity, fame, and resilience while celebrating Reubens’ artistry.

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