Paul (2011)

 

You want a comedy that is actually pretty funny and works mostly because of the chemistry between Simon Pegg and Nick Frost? Then you could do a lot worse than this one. Sure, it's not as much fun as the Cornetto Trilogy as Edgar Wright is a better director overall, but this one is still a lot of fun to watch as most of the jokes land.

Pegg and Frost play two geeks who have saved up to finally attend San Diego Comic Con (maybe the biggest convention in the world?) and afterwards head out on a trip along various UFO-related sites across the USA. Things go fairly swimmingly, until they come across a very real alien called Paul. 

Paul has escaped from a government facility and is now looking for a way back home. Turns out that he was responsible for quite a lot of advancements and pop culture influences throughout the years, but now the government wants to dissect him, he's had enough. Paul is not what anyone expected, as he is a foul-mouthed weirdo who clearly has spent way too much time among humans. Along the way, our three unlikely partners are joined by Ruth, a young woman who grew up as a religious zealot, but who gets her mind expanded (quite literally) by Paul. 

Add to that government agents chasing them, an irate father and some surprises along the way and you're set for a neat adventure, packaged as a roadmovie of sorts.

The plot may be fairly thin, but this movie works because the interplay between the characters is enjoyable. You can tell they had fun making this and that adds to the enjoyment. Pegg and Frost are almost inseparable twins at this point, but this also plays to the strengths of the other characters. Kristen Wiig is really funny (which can't always be said, alas) and even though a lot of the supporting characters are caricatures, the exagerrations don't feel too forced. The agents are a bit much at times, but they are balanced out by Jason Bateman's agent Zoil. 

Oh, and the Big Guy is one heck of an extended cameo by legend Sigourney Weaver. 

In between sometimes crass jokes, there are a ton of references to science fiction and geekdom as a whole, but it's done fairly tastefully. When Sigourney Weaver gets punched in the face by someone shouting the line: "Get away from her, you bitch!", fans of miss Weaver will undoubtedly chuckle or get the reference and it's by far not the only one here. 

To be fair: your enjoyment will also depend on how much you enjoy the comedic stylings of Seth Rogen. I can see why he might get on people's nerves at times, but in this one, he is fairly subdued most of the time. The CG on Paul is also well done and he rarely feels out of place or inserted. 

Is 'Paul' great? No. The movie does lack staying power, the story is perfunctory and even though it is funny most of the time, it is either a little vanilla or a tad too on the nose with certain characters. Nevertheless, it is a fun watch every now and again.