Movies Like Big Top Pee-wee (1988)

Big Top Pee-wee is a 1988 comedy, family film from Randal Kleiser with a MovieMagicScore of 4.9/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Pee-wee's Big Adventure and Pee-wee's Big Holiday.

Comedy Family

Pee-wee's Big Adventure

1985

The eccentric and childish Pee-wee Herman embarks on a big adventure when his beloved bicycle is stolen. Armed with information from a fortune-teller and a relentless obsession with his prized possession, Pee-wee encounters a host of odd characters and bizarre situations as he treks across the country to recover his bike.

6.5

MagicScore

Pee-wee's Big Holiday

2016

A fateful meeting with a mysterious stranger inspires Pee-wee Herman to take his first-ever holiday.

6.1

MagicScore

Frankenweenie

2012

When a car hits young Victor's pet dog Sparky, Victor decides to bring him back to life the only way he knows how. But when the bolt-necked "monster" wreaks havoc and terror in the hearts of Victor's neighbors, he has to convince them that Sparky's still the good, loyal friend he was.

7.0

MagicScore

Hotel for Dogs

2009

Placed in a foster home that doesn't allow pets, 16-year-old Andi and her younger brother, Bruce, turn an abandoned hotel into a home for their dog. Soon other strays arrive, and the hotel becomes a haven for every orphaned canine in town. But the kids have to do some quick thinking to keep the cops off their tails.

6.0

MagicScore

Game Night

2018

Max and Annie's weekly game night gets kicked up a notch when Max's brother Brooks arranges a murder mystery party -- complete with fake thugs and federal agents. So when Brooks gets kidnapped, it's all supposed to be part of the game. As the competitors set out to solve the case, they start to learn that neither the game nor Brooks are what they seem to be. The friends soon find themselves in over their heads as each twist leads to another unexpected turn over the course of one chaotic night.

6.8

MagicScore

The Watch

2012

Four everyday suburban guys come together as an excuse to escape their humdrum lives one night a week. But when they accidentally discover that their town has become overrun with aliens posing as ordinary suburbanites, they have no choice but to save their neighborhood – and the world – from total extermination.

5.6

MagicScore

The Tenant

1976

A quiet and inconspicuous man rents an apartment in Paris where he finds himself drawn into a rabbit hole of dangerous paranoia.

7.6

MagicScore

The Hunchback of Notre Dame II

2002

Now that Frollo is gone, Quasimodo rings the bell with the help of his new friend and Esmeralda's and Phoebus' little son, Zephyr. But when Quasi stops by a traveling circus owned by evil magician Sarousch, he falls for Madellaine, Sarouch's assistant.

5.4

MagicScore

She and Her Cat: Everything Flows

2016

This simple, charming series follows a young woman as she job hunts and experiences various changes in her life, all while her cat Daru remains the supportive constant.

6.8

MagicScore

#10

Tomcat

2016

Andreas and Stefan lead a happy and passionate life: Together with their beloved tomcat Moses, they live in a beautiful old house in Vienna's vineyards. They work as a musician and as a scheduler in the same orchestra and they love their large circle of friends. An unexpected and inexplicable outburst of violence suddenly shakes up the relationship and calls everything into question - the blind spot that resides in all of us.

5.7

MagicScore

#11

Lily Sometimes

2010

After the death of her mother, a woman returns home to care for her sister.

5.6

MagicScore

#12

Two Brothers

2004

Two tigers are separated as cubs and taken into captivity, only to be reunited years later as enemies by an explorer (Pearce) who inadvertently forces them to fight each other.

7.1

MagicScore

#13

Yoyo

1965

The story follows the son of a millionaire from the 1920s to the 1960s. After losing his fortune in the stock-exchange crash, he teams up with an equestrienne and becomes a circus clown.

7.0

MagicScore

#14

Shadows and Fog

1991

With a serial strangler on the loose, a bookkeeper wanders around town searching for the vigilante group intent on catching the killer.

6.7

MagicScore

#15

Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea

2006

On their way through the Battle Frontier, Ash and friends meet up with a Pokémon Ranger who's mission is to deliever the egg of Manaphy to a temple on the ocean's floor. However, a greedy pirate wants the power of Manaphy to himself.

6.4

MagicScore

#16

Boot Hill

1969

Victims of oppressive town boss Honey are offered help by an unusual alliance of gunmen and circus performers

5.9

MagicScore

#17

Werckmeister Harmonies

2001

A naive young man witnesses an escalation of violence in his small hometown following the arrival of a mysterious circus attraction.

7.9

MagicScore

#18

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

1989

In 1938, an art collector appeals to eminent archaeologist Dr. Indiana Jones to embark on a search for the Holy Grail. Indy learns that a medieval historian has vanished while searching for it, and the missing man is his own father, Dr. Henry Jones Sr.. He sets out to rescue his father by following clues in the old man's notebook, which his father had mailed to him before he went missing. Indy arrives in Venice, where he enlists the help of a beautiful academic, Dr. Elsa Schneider, along with Marcus Brody and Sallah. Together they must stop the Nazis from recovering the power of eternal life and taking over the world!

7.8

MagicScore

#19

Laugh, Clown, Laugh

1928

A despairing clown suffering a broken heart and a self-indulgent count who uncontrollably laughs learn to help each other with their problems, but both fall in love with the same young woman.

7.4

MagicScore

#20

Behind the Sun

2001

Brazilian badlands, April 1910. Tonho is ordered by his father to avenge the death of his older brother. The young man knows that if he commits this crime, his life will be divided in two: the twenty years he has already lived and the few days he has left to live, before the other family avenges their son's death. He is torn between fulfilling his ancestral duty and rebelling against it, urged by his younger brother Pacu. That's when a tiny travelling circus passes through the vast badlands where Tonho's family lives.

7.3

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Big Top Pee-wee?

The top films similar to Big Top Pee-wee by MovieMagicScore are Pee-wee's Big Adventure (6.5), Pee-wee's Big Holiday (6.1), Frankenweenie (7.0). Each shares comedy/family themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Big Top Pee-wee worth watching?

Big Top Pee-wee holds a MovieMagicScore of 4.9/10 from 141 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Big Top Pee-wee?

Big Top Pee-wee (1988) is a comedy, family film directed by Randal Kleiser, starring Paul Reubens, Penelope Ann Miller, Kris Kristofferson.

Where can I find more recommendations like Big Top Pee-wee?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more comedy recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Pee-wee's Big Adventure Movies like Pee-wee's Big Holiday Movies like Frankenweenie Movies like Hotel for Dogs Movies like Game Night Movies like The Watch

About movies like Big Top Pee-wee

This ranked list pairs Big Top Pee-wee (1988), a comedy and family film from Randal Kleiser, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Paul Reubens take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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