Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are back doing what they do best, paying homage to films that they love. This time, they turn their sights on alien movies in Paul.
Pegg and Frost do double duty, both writing and starring in the film, which is directed by Greg Mottola, director of Superbad and Adventureland. Pegg plays Graeme Willy and Frost plays Clive Gollings; they’re a pair of nerds from England who have saved up to go to nerd mecca, aka the San Diego Comic Con. It’s clear from the beginning that Willy and Gollings concentrate their nerd energy on Sci-Fi and, specifically, aliens; they rent an RV as part of their plan to cross the U.S. to visit sites of notable alien activity, including Area 51 and Roswell.
Shortly into their road trip, Willy and Gollings meet the foul-mouthed “little green manâ€, Paul, voiced by Seth Rogen. Paul, it turns out, has been living in a secret military base for quite some time. When he finally realizes that he’s a prisoner, rather than a guest, he makes his escape. Because of Paul’s horrible driving skills, he ends up on the road with Willy and Gollings. Paul convinces the two to help him get to a particular location where he will make contact with his fellow aliens to pick him up.
The trio is on the run from two country-folk types, played by David Koechner and Jesse Plemons, due to a slight mishap involving a pick-up with a name. Also in on the chase are two bumbling federal agents, played by Bill Hader and Joe LoTruglio and Agent Zoil, played by Jason Bateman, an agent of the mysterious Big Guy.
Adding to the hilarity is Kristen Wiig, who plays Ruth, a super-religious woman who works for her father at an RV park. Ruth is accidentally kidnapped after seeing Paul, which sends her father, Moses, into the chase as well. Ruth is changed by the interaction with Paul and Wiig plays her newly discovered freedom for serious laughs.
Rogen’s voice is the perfect match for the smart-ass Paul. Pegg and Frost are believable as sci-fi nerds and Wiig could bring the funny to just about any role. Hader and LoTruglio are over-the-top and a good counterpart to Bateman’s no nonsense Agent Zoil.
Fans of Sci-Fi — and specifically alien — movies will enjoy numerous references to classic movie scenes and themes. This is not the third in the blood and ice cream trilogy and Edgar Wright is not involved as far as the credits tell us, but this is an homage movie and Pegg and Frost’s love for aliens is clear.
Be prepared for Paul’s language: That’s the one comment that keeps coming up about this film, but if that doesn’t bother you, go check this one out.
How much would I pay to see this one again? Out of $10, I’d pay $9. It is just fun, especially if you are fans of the actors.
Jay Fralick is the co-host of the Wanna Watch a Movie? Podcast
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Image: Universal
Read a few reviews good reviews of this movie and I cannot wait to see it. Strange that no one has mentions Roger from the American Dad series. I LOVE Roger he reminds me a bit of Paul Lind. Are they anything alike? Cant wait to see this. Perhaps Roger is the one picking Paul up.
You eat what you like and I’ll eat what I like.
The trailer wasn’t funny at all, so I was hoping they were saving all the funny gags for the actual film. No such luck. The film had good energy, but the actual jokes went over with a thud. Judging from the relative quiet of the rest of the audience, I think I wasn’t alone in that sentiment. What a waste of talent.
As for the geek jokes, just because you are in on the joke doesn’t mean that it’s a funny joke. If you laugh just because you get a sci-fi reference, you need to check yourself. I’m looking at you “Big Nag Theory” fans.
This movie was hilarious start to finish. I enjoyed every minute of it, especially Kristen Wiig. I really identified with the characters when they were trying to explain who Adam Shadowchild was. I highly recommend this movie!
I never realized just how many alien movies I have seen until I saw this. I haven’t bought a DVD in ages but this one will definitely find itself on my shelf!
I more than enjoyed this movie. I especially loved all the Sci-Fi references. I will be purchasing the movie once it comes out on DVD. Which I don’t do very often.
It filled me up with nerdy goodness.
Paul was a so nerdy, hilarious and awesome!
I dig the Pegg and Frost combo and I really, REALLY wanted to like this movie, but all the strawman Christians seemed shoehorned in and were really off-putting. Bad form, sirs. Bad form.
Paul was out there, and it is welcome! The Pegg + Frost + Kristen Wiig combo was hilarious! She was pretty awesome in this, and made for an awesome innocence-destruction side to the whole story that was really quite beautiful. Jason Bateman was pretty hilarious too.
As a huge fan of Pegg and Frost, I was worried that without the involvement of Edgar Wright, this movie was going to leave me feeling dissapointed. After watching the trailer, my worries only grew. Maybe going in with low expectations helped, because I enjoyed just about every minute of it. It’s not as smart or stylish as the duo’s previous work, but it was definitely fun. I also thought Kristen Wiig did a great job and I am not usually a fan of hers. Good review, I couldn’t agree more.