For the past 60 years, an alien named Paul has been hanging out at a top-secret military base. For reasons unknown, the space-traveling smart ass decides to escape the compound and hop on the first vehicle out of town -- a rented RV containing Earthlings Graeme Willy and Clive Gollings. Chased by federal agents and the fanatical father of a young woman that they accidentally kidnap, Graeme and Clive hatch a fumbling escape plan to return Paul to his mother ship. And as two nerds struggle to help, one little green man might just take his fellow outcasts from misfits to intergalactic heroes.
Genres: Comedy and Science Fiction/Fantasy Release Date: March 18th, 2011 (wide) MPAA Rating: R for language including sexual references and some drug use. Distributor: Universal Pictures
Cast And Credits
Starring:
Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader
He comes in peace, man, despite the ensuing havoc, and it takes only time and six packs of beer for this computer-generated space invader and his fully human co-stars, Graeme Willy (Simon Pegg) and Clive Gollings (Nick Frost), to bond. By then, Paul has hitched a ride with the guys, themselves visitors from another planet (Britain) who are fresh from Comic-Con, the annual fan convention in San Diego. The two friends have embarked on a trip to extraterrestrial sacred spots, including Area 51, the military base in Nevada where the conspiracy-minded think the government stashes aliens, and the so-called nearby Black Mailbox, where true believers watch for U.F.O.’s, and not far from where Graeme and Clive hook up with Paul.
As genial, foolish and demographically engineered as it sounds (hailing all fan boys and girls), “Paul†is at once a buddy flick and a classic American road movie of self- (and other) discovery, interspersed with buckets of expletives and some startling (especially for a big-studio release) pokes at Christian fundamentalism. It was directed in low gear by Greg Mottola and written by Mr. Pegg and Mr. Frost in a somewhat indulgent mode, clocking in at an overextended 104 minutes. Mr. Mottola directed “Superbad†and “Adventureland,†and Mr. Pegg wrote “Shaun of the Dead†and “Hot Fuzz†with their energetic director, Edgar Wright. Mr. Mottola is a good director, and it’s so nice that he knows how to frame a shot, but Mr. Wright might have lighted a stronger fire under “Paul.â€
The movie has its attractions, notably Mr. Pegg and Mr. Frost (and of course Mr. Bateman), whose ductile, (noncomputer) animated and open faces were made for comedy. They express wonderment plausibly, whether walking the halls of Comic-Con or visiting the Black Mailbox, and one of the low-key satisfactions of the movie is that it doesn’t condescend to its constituency (um, it panders instead). As writers, Mr. Pegg and Mr. Frost are tourists in geek world, not inhabitants. They’re friendlies, not hostiles, either because they find such fandom charming or, having shot to fame with “Shaun of the Dead,†necessary. Both explanations might be true, but what makes the film largely work, despite its occasional slackness and over-trodden terrain, is its overall affability (and smutty words).
Although he’s a typical computer-generated mild marvel, with fluid gestures and a believable physiognomy, Paul proves the weak link. One problem is that Mr. Rogen, however comically inclined, has become overexposed, and there’s just something too familiar and predictable about this voice coming out of that body. Yet while Paul seems great conceptually, he’s not particularly interesting or surprising, despite a funny recap of what he’s been doing on his time on Earth. With his vibe and vocabulary, shorts and weed, juvenilia and sentimentality, Paul turns out to be not much different from a lot of guys who have wreaked comedy havoc on American screens lately, even if this one only wants to beam up, not knock up.
Paul†is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). Language!
Extraterrestrials have been invading the big screen since 1902, when earthlings met acrobatic aliens in Georges Méliès’s “Trip to the Moon,†widely thought to be the first science-fiction film. Back then the space beings wore unitards with lobsterlike claws. The titular otherworldly creature in the genial comedy “Paul†(voiced by Seth Rogen) has the classic far-out look â€" the ponderous, bald bobble head, the big eyes and gaunt limbs â€" only he wears board shorts and a backpack: he’s a little green dude.
On the lam from men in black (including a deadpan Jason Bateman), Paul wants to phone home, his wish almost at once becoming Graeme and Clive’s mission. Together they hit the road, putting pedal to the metal in between encounters with a stellar character-actor lineup and seeing the best and worst America and its clichés have to offer. Graeme and Clive have already run scared from two hee-haws, played by David Koechner and Jesse Plemons, who inspire the obligatory “Deliverance†reference. With Paul in tow, they also pick up a religious love interest, Ruth (Kristen Wiig), who wears a T-shirt with a cartoon Jesus blowing away Darwin, and has a domineering daddy (John Carroll Lynch), a rabid member of the Bible and gun club. 
The movie has its attractions, notably Mr. Pegg and Mr. Frost (and of course Mr. Bateman), whose ductile, (noncomputer) animated and open faces were made for comedy. They express wonderment plausibly, whether walking the halls of Comic-Con or visiting the Black Mailbox, and one of the low-key satisfactions of the movie is that it doesn’t condescend to its constituency (um, it panders instead). As writers, Mr. Pegg and Mr. Frost are tourists in geek world, not inhabitants. They’re friendlies, not hostiles, either because they find such fandom charming or, having shot to fame with “Shaun of the Dead,†necessary. Both explanations might be true, but what makes the film largely work, despite its occasional slackness and over-trodden terrain, is its overall affability (and smutty words). 
Although he’s a typical computer-generated mild marvel, with fluid gestures and a believable physiognomy, Paul proves the weak link. One problem is that Mr. Rogen, however comically inclined, has become overexposed, and there’s just something too familiar and predictable about this voice coming out of that body. Yet while Paul seems great conceptually, he’s not particularly interesting or surprising, despite a funny recap of what he’s been doing on his time on Earth. With his vibe and vocabulary, shorts and weed, juvenilia and sentimentality, Paul turns out to be not much different from a lot of guys who have wreaked comedy havoc on American screens lately, even if this one only wants to beam up, not knock up. 
