In 1979, Paul Reubens hit a low point. Despite being one of the most popular members of the L.A.-based improv troupe the Groundlings, Reubens failed his audition for Saturday Night Live. Rather than give up, Reubens decided to package a show based on his most popular character, Pee-Wee Herman. A spoof of 1950’ss kid shows, The Pee-Wee Herman Show was an instant success, selling out Carnegie Hall and produced as a special on HBO. Soon after came appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman, a feature film, and then a Saturday morning tv show, all of which made Pee-Wee a true icon of the 1980s.
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But Ruebens has always been more than just Pee-Wee. With a film and tv career that stretched across decades, Reubens showed a remarkable range, starring in everything from family comedies to dark indie dramas to superhero parodies.
Here is a ranking of all of the late actor’s movies (save for the lost documentary Dream On!) from worst to best. Along with some notable tv appearances that deserve honorable mentions, these works capture the range of the singular Paul Reubens.
1. Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
Of course, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure needs to be number one. Big Adventure transformed Pee-Wee from a perpetual television guest to a national phenomenon. Unlikely as it might seem today, Pee-Wee made for the perfect subject for Tim Burton to direct in his first live-action picture. Burton helped Reubens capture the charm and danger in his famous character, making for an amazing movie that entertained (and sometimes terrified) kids of all ages.
2. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
You may not recognize him, but Reubens played another oddball in an iconic kid’s movie from Tim Burton. Reubens lent his voice to Lock, one of the three evil kids tasked with kidnapping Santa Claus in the classic The Nightmare Before Christmas. Reubens dials up the mean in his voice, which pairs well with director Henry Selick’s striking stop-motion animation. The combination makes Lock, Stock, and Barrel three of the most interesting characters in a movie filled with memorable figures.
3. Life During Wartime (2009)
There’s always been something creepy about the characters played by Reubens, even Pee-Wee Herman. While occasional movies allowed him to explore that side, he rarely got to be as loathsome as he is in Todd Solondz’s deeply unpleasant Life During Wartime. As the abusive and pathetic Andy, Reubens plays the ghost of a would-be romantic partner Joy (Shirley Henderson), who appears to her in moments of weakness. Without ever diminishing the movie’s nasty heart, Reubens finds humanity and pathos in Andy, making the character that much more menacing.
4. Flight of the Navigator (1986)
Despite the occasional Pee-Wee Herman laugh, the supercomputer Max in Flight of the Navigator sounds nothing like Reubens. Credited to Paul Mall, Max spoke with a mechanical baritone to the time-displaced kid David (Joey Cramer). But it turns out that Wall did such a great Pee-Wee because he was Pee-Wee. Well, he was Paul Reubens, hoping to surprise audiences with a performance that strayed far from his most famous persona. Free from the expectations of his most famous character, Reubens lends surprising depth to the Disney flick without ever sacrificing the whacky fun.
5. Blow (2001)
At first glance, 2001’s Blow feels like a solid but uninteresting biopic that wears its Martin Scorsese influence on its sleeve. Director Ted Demme fills the story of cocaine dealer George Jung (Johnny Depp) with pop songs, punctuating his rise and fall. But Reubens brings warmth and humanity in a supporting role as marijuana dealer Derek Foreal. As George’s life grows more complicated and dangerous, Ruebens’s sensitive portrayal grounds the glossy proceedings in real humanity.
6. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)
No, Reubens never faced off against Sarah Michelle Gellar in the beloved teen show from the late 90s. But he did fight the slayer played by Kristy Swanson in the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Amilyn, servant of the vampire king Lothos (Rutger Hauer). The growling, menacing Amilyn feels a far cry from Reubens as he’s usually known, making the performance an all-timer. So great was Amilyn that Reubens (sort of) revisited the character for a 2019 episode of What We Do in the Shadows in one of the actor’s last on-screen appearances.
7. Batman Returns (1992)
Batman Returns is both one of the best superhero movies of all time and one of the weirdest. Directed by Tim Burton, Batman Returns mostly ignores the mythos of the Caped Crusader (Michael Keaton) and instead follows the grotesque Penguin (Danny DeVito) and the sultry Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer). Reubens appears briefly at the start of the film as Tucker Cobblepot, the wealthy Gotham socialite who throws his infant son Oswald in the sewer and sets him on the path to becoming the Penguin.
8. Mystery Men (1999)
Mystery Men is an all-time cult classic, a hilarious superhero spoof from the days before the MCU. Mystery Men is also one of the most poorly directed movies to ever come out of Hollywood, the sole feature of ad man Kinka Usher. The truth of both those statements is a testament to the movie’s cast, which includes Ben Stiller, William H. Macy, and, of course, Paul Reubens. His character the Spleen, who possesses the power of super gas, may be the least popular member of the team, but audiences cheer every time he cuts one loose.
9. Cheech & Chong’s Next Movie (1980)
Pee-Wee Herman made his film debut not in Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure but in a brief cameo in Cheech & Chong’s Next Movie. Pee-Wee only gets a few seconds on stage at a comedy show before the stars heckle him off, sending him stomping away with an angry bird. But before that, Reubens plays a snotty desk clerk who hassles the duo at a hotel. Alongside fellow Groundlings Phil Hartman and Cassandra Peterson (aka Elvira, Mistress of the Dark), Reubens gets to show the world a nastier side of Pee-Wee.
10. Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday (2016)
In the 2010s, kids who grew up with Pee-Wee rose to positions of power in the entertainment industry, allowing them to put their heroes back on the screen. With the help of producer Judd Apatow, comedian Paul Rust facilitated Reubens’s return in the Netflix movie Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday. Reuben’s last cinematic appearance, Big Holiday largely captures the feeling of Pee-Wee’s 80s heyday, even if it sometimes repeats too many beats from the superior Big Adventure.
11. Pray TV (1980)
Pray TV stars the wonderfully weasely Dabney Coleman as a huckster who saves a struggling tv station by airing religious content. Like the later (and, frankly, better) Weird Al Yankovic vehicle UHF, the serves largely as an excuse for skits masquerading as tv programs. Some hit, and others miss, but Reubens is always a delight as the saucy, chain-smoking exercise guru Jack. Unfortunately, Pray TV never quite becomes as subversive or funny as it wants to be.
12. Matilda (1996)
One of the all-time great family films of the 1990s, Matilda stars Mara Wilson as a little girl with telekinesis. In adapting the cynical novel by Roald Dahl, director Danny DeVito and screenwriters Nicholas Kazan and Robin Swicord retain the author’s mistrust of adults. That approach led DeVito to cast Reubens and Tracey Walter as a pair of FBI agents trailing Matilda’s criminal father (played by DeVito). Reubens plays the more buttoned-down of the duo, which lets him be the bigger goof when befuddled by Matilda’s powers.
13. Big Top Pee-Wee (1988)
After the manic madness of Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Big Top Pee-Wee couldn’t help but disappoint. Even though it moves the action from the Alamo and the suburbs to the circus, Big Top Pee-Wee feels muted and grounded, as Randal Kleiser can’t quite match the energy of Pee-Wee’s breakout. Still, there are some great gags in Big Top Pee-Wee, and no one who watches the film will ever again look at egg salad sandwiches in the same way.
14. Dunston Checks In (1996)
Between the two monkey movies Reubens makes in the mid-90s, Dunston Checks In is decidedly worse, a tiresome flick about an orangutan set loose in a fancy hotel. But unlike Buddy, Dunston does give Reubens more screen time, and he takes full advantage. As swaggering, Southern-twanged animal control expert Buck LaFarge, Reubens briefly breathes life into the bland family film, adding a level of danger otherwise missing from a movie about a wild animal.
15. Back to the Beach (1987)
None of Reubens’s cameos stands out like Pee-Wee’s appearance in the Frankie and Annette reunion film Back to the Beach. Pee-Wee arrives on a surfboard to sing “Surfin’ Bird” in the most annoying way possible, combining the 60s and the 80s into a single strange entity.
16. Reno 911!: Miami (2007)
Where Reubens was an unknown when he cameoed in The Blues Brothers, he was a comedy legend when he dropped by for a single scene in Reno 911!: Miami. Portraying Sir Terrance, the rich and absurd father of reoccurring character Terry (Nick Swardson), Reubens lights up the screen with insane energy.
17. The Blues Brothers (1980)
The Blues Brothers is one of the greatest comedies of all time, bolstered not only by the magnetic performance by John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd but also by amazing cameos. In 1980, Reubens didn’t have anywhere near the profile of other one-scene stars such as Ray Charles or even Muppets performer Frank Oz. But it’s still a delight to see him as a stuffy waiter being hassled by Jake and Elwood as they attempt to get “Mr. Fabulous” Alan Rubin to rejoin their band.
18. Dr. Dolittle (1998)
His second update of a well-known franchise, Eddie Murphy continued his 90s comeback with Dr. Dolittle. As a vet who gains the ability to talk with animals, Murphy heard distinctive voices when he conversed with his pets, including those of Chris Rock, Garry Shandling, and Albert Brooks. Ruebens only gets a few lines as an unnamed Raccoon, but his distinctive high-pitched tone always catches our attention.
19. Teacher’s Pet (2004)
It’s hard to understand the impulse to make a kid's cartoon featuring Nathan Lane voicing a dog who wants to be a real boy, but somehow the Disney show Teacher’s Pet garnered enough of a following to justify a movie. Given the show’s unlikely cast, Reubens fits right in as the voice of alligator Dennis, one of two henchmen serving evil scientist Dr. Krank (Kelsey Grammer). Reubens’s dimwitted southerner isn’t the most inspired of choices, but it keeps the kiddies entertained.
20. Meatballs Part II (1984)
How did Meatballs Part II compensate for the loss of Meatballs star Bill Murray? By stuffing its standard slobs vs. snobs plot with all types of nonsense, including a lumpy grey alien, a maniacal rival military camp, and countless broad pratfalls. With so much going on, Reubens doesn’t get much to do as staff goofball Albert. But he makes the most of his few scenes, especially when he’s picking fights with people three times his size.
21. Buddy (1997)
The family movies of the 90s rarely gave Ruebens much room to work, and that’s certainly true of 1997’s Buddy, starring Rene Russo as a 1920s socialite who adopts a gorilla. But Ruebens does make the most of his single scene as academic Professor Spatz. With his bald head and closely cropped mustache, Reubens brings an unusual energy to the screen, briefly slowing the pace of an otherwise exhausting flick.
22. Midnight Madness (1980)
The second-ever PG-rated Disney movie, Midnight Madness represents one of the the family-friendly studio’s first forays into more mature fare, this time by emulating the raunchy teen comedies that followed American Graffiti. Of course, Disney couldn’t push itself to fully copy the naughty shenanigans of the genre, resulting in a wholesome but wholly unentertaining movie about groups of teens competing in screwy challenges throughout the night. Reubens does what he can in a single scene as an arcade operator dressed as a 50s cowboy, but it’s not enough to make the movie worthwhile.
23. Nice Dreams (1981)
Given their favorite pastime, it’s no surprise that Cheech & Chong would be a low-energy comedy duo. But their third feature, Nice Dreams, is so aimless that it almost slumps off the screen. Most of the movie follows Cheech and Chong as they go from place to place, muttering observations that pass for jokes. The film gets a blast of energy when Reubens shows up as an amped-up fiend who takes the duo’s money, almost — but not quite — saving the entire picture when he starts babbling about Bruce Springsteen and New Wave music.
24. Pandemonium (1982)
Few genres are as challenging as horror comedies. If you need proof to back up that claim, look no further than Pandemonium, a sketch comedy flick that tries to do for slashers what Airplane! did for disaster movies. Despite a great cast that includes Phil Hartman, Lynne Marie Stewart, Judd Nelson, and Carol Kane, Pandemonium’s gags almost all fall flat. Not even Reubens’s scenes alongside comedy great Tommy Smothers get more than a polite chuckle.
25. South of Heaven, West of Hell (2000)
Those looking to catch up on Reubens’s filmography may think they’ve found a hidden gem with South of Heaven, West of Hell. Directed, co-written by, and starring country music singer Dwight Yoakam, South of Heaven seems like a cinephile’s dream, with its revisionist Western approach and a cast of character actors like Billy Bob Thornton, Michael Jeter, and Bud Cort. Unfortunately, the movie is an unwatchable, self-important drag, not even worth sitting through to see Reubens playing against type as a quiet, brutal gunslinger.
26. Accidental Love (2015)
Director David O. Russell has made some good movies, but the healthcare satire Accidental Love is not among them. The story of a woman with a nail in her head (Jessica Biel) who teams up with a young lawmaker (Jake Gyllenhaal) against a powerful senator (Catherine Keener), Accidental Love goes broader than even the most lowbrow comedy. As the aid for Keener’s character, Reubens seems to play the one normal human in the film, which is a relief but isn’t that entertaining.
27. The Tripper (2006)
In theory, The Tripper sounds like a good time. Directed by Scream alum David Arquette, The Tripper makes a low-budget slasher out of 2000s politics by pitting a bunch of partying teens against a killer in a Ronald Reagan mask. But the combination of chemically-altered comedy and mean-spirited murders never really works, not even when Reubens appears as the foul-mouthed mayor of the central town.
28. The Smurfs (2011)
The original Smurfs only slightly outdoes its sequel. Yes, it’s still terrible for all the reasons above, despite a committed performance by Hank Azaria under lots of prosthetics as the evil wizard Gargamel. But at least Reubens’s Jokey gets a few more lines, even if they aren’t terribly funny.
29. The Smurfs 2 (2013)
Thanks to name recognition and parental boredom, The Smurfs somehow made five times its budget, so you’d better believe Sony rushed a sequel into production. And boy, does that rushed timeline show. Helmed by unimaginative family movie mainstay Raja Gosnell, Smurfs 2 sinks to all of the terrible lows of a 2010s kid flick, making it not worth watching for any reason, certainly not to hear Reubens’s few lines as Jokey Smurf.
