Rated R for language, including sexual references, and some drug use
Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen, Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Blythe Danner, John Carroll Lynch, Sigourney Weaver
Director: Greg Mottola
"Paul" is a buddy road comedy about two British science fiction geeks who come to America, venture to San Diego for the annual Comic Con, rent an RV, embark on a road odyssey to visit famous alien-oriented sights, and soon come into contact with an actual extra-terrestrial just outside Area 51. The humor stems from the fact that the alien is better adjusted than the geeks.
Perhaps "better adjusted" isn't the right phrase. Let's just say that when the encounter first takes place, it's the alien—nicknamed Paul—who keeps the most level head. He seems comfortable in his surroundings, has a predilection toward F-bombs and weed, and appears to know more about alien pop culture than most nerds.
Of course, the movie has an explanation for this... we're told that after his ship crash-landed on earth, he spent the last sixty years taking up residence in a top-secret military base, where he offered the United States government various brands of expertise. And I don't just mean in science. I mean in pop culture, right on down to ping-ponging ideas for potential movie plots with the Hollywood elite.
The human protagonists in this comedy are Graeme Willy (Simon Pegg) and Clive Gollings (Nick Frost). Their nerdy “preparation” acquired at various sci-fi conventions enables them to accept the sheer absurdity of an actual alien in their midst, if not for some smaller distractions…
Graeme: “What’s the matter, Clive?”
Clive: “There’s an alien in the kitchen making coffee and bagels.”
Graeme: “Did you want tea?”
Clive: “No, I don’t want tea!”
Graeme: “Right, because tea is weird in America
Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen) tells them that he broke out of the military base upon receiving word that his brain was going to be cut out of his head and studied. They agree to help him, despite being pursued by a tenacious government agent named Zoil (Jason Bateman) who keeps up the chase while maintaining the secrecy of the target. Zoil’s two subordinates (Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio) remain on a need-to-know basis only, although they begin to suspect something more is happening. The agents work for The Big Guy (Sigourney Weaver) whose militant approach to her job is unmatched. (She has an autographed portrait of George W. Bush signed “You’re the best thing I ever invaded!”)
More eclectic characters are dumped onto the pile, including Ruth Buggs (Kristen Wiig) a devout Christian who proudly wears a t-shirt showing God gunning down Charles Darwin with the caption “EVOLVE THIS!” emblazoned along the front. After she discovers what the men have hidden in their RV, they kidnap her. Initially she resists, but soon discovers a newfound sense of freedom after breaking away from her biblical bondage. Her father (John Carroll Lynch), an even more hardcore Christian, follows in furious pursuit. Also on the crew’s trail are a couple of halfwit hillbillies (David Koechner and Jesse Plemons) who have a beef with the foreigners… the ones from England
The screenplay is by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and it’s the latest in a series of successful script collaborations between the two. (Others include “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz.”) Their films are known not so much for razor-sharp wit as for a kind of madcap ebullience. Here, they’re aided by the skilled directing hand of Greg Mottola ("Superbad," "Adventureland") as well as special effects that are impressive for a comedy of this scale.
Seth Rogen is basically playing Seth Rogen as an alien… which I suppose is the point. If you cast a voice belonging to someone like Rogen, you’re conjuring up a very specific persona. The sometimes snarky, smart-ass speech patterns and crude mannerisms he provides serve their purpose. Pegg and Frost make very credible middle-aged nerds. And Kristen Wiig’s knack for comic delivery is counterbalanced nicely with her unassuming good looks. She’s inviting as well as funny.
It’s true, in comedies with a premise like this, that my bar of cinematic excellence wasn’t set particularly high upon entering the theatre. But I give credit where it’s due. I laughed. Quite a bit, actually. It’s not exactly art… just a fun, goofy cross-country romp where an alien with a penchant for pot, pop culture, and partying finds himself in the company of guys who are oddly well-equipped to handle just such a situation.
