Release Date: 3/18/11
The movie Paul begins and ends at the same place – Comic-con: the largest convention in America and fourth largest in the world. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are Graeme Willy and Clive Gollings, two comic book nerds from London visiting America for the first time. They’re obsessed with extra-terrestrials, so after the four-day event in San Diego they plan to travel across the country in an RV visiting all the famous UFO sightings. Unexpectedly, they meet Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen), an alien on the run. Graeme and Clive reluctantly decided to help Paul get back to his mothership, all the while being chased by federal agents.
The cast in this film is amazing. Pegg and Frost were hilarious together in their previous films, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Jason Bateman plays Agent Zoil, who’s in charge of finding Paul and bringing him back to the top-secret military base. He does his usual schtick, which is always enjoyable. Rogen was perfect for the voice of Paul. As someone who’s not always a fan of him, it was great for him to be heard and not seen. The most hilarious character, though, was hands down Kristen Wiig as Ruth Buggs, a Christian fanatic who does not believe in evolution, and certainly not aliens. Her quick comebacks and cursing were laugh-out-loud funny every time. You’d think it would get old after a while. It doesn’t.
Other supporting characters added to the colorful mix of comedy, including Jeffrey Tambor as Adam Shadowchild, author of some of (apparently) the greatest comic books of all time. He is so snide and mean to his fans, telling them to fuck off. Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio are partners Haggard and O’Reilly, also on Paul’s tail but not knowing that they’re searching for an alien. The two of them are not exactly the sharpest tools in the shed, playing hide and seek to pass the time while on duty. They definitely had some funny moments but as a huge fan of Hader I was a little disappointed. Jane Lynch even has a brief appearance as Pat Stevens, a bartender who waits on Graeme and Clive early on (pre-Paul). She’s just classic; hysterical in everything she does. The guys buy a bumper sticker from her bar that says, ‘Alien on Board’. That’s some serious foreshadowing right there.
Greg Mottola has previously directed two awesome movies and two of my favorite television shows: Adventureland, Superbad, Undeclared, and Arrested Development. Paul is right up there with them. The movie is a comedic road trip adventure with a funny storyline and small surprise at the end (no, not the cameo, which I won’t mention but her voice is heard throughout the entire movie and it’s very distinct).
Definitely see Paul on March 18 because fuckaroo, that was the best titty-farting comedy I’ve seen in a while.
IMDB 7.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes 63%
Moviewiseguys 7.5/10