Movie Review: Paul
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, those lovable Brits from "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz", are back. Pegg and Frost star as Graeme Willy and Clive Gollings, two grown-up nerds who've come to America for Comic-Con and a tour of all the famous alien hot spots. It's the ultimate nerd "holiday", as they would call it. What they didn't expect, was actually coming across an alien, which of course is what happens. The alien is Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen): he's on the run from the FBI, and he really needs a ride in their RV.
Ironically, part of what makes the character of Paul so unique is just how normal he seems to be, which is as refreshing as it is unlikely. The character of Paul is basically if Seth Rogen was an alien, which again, is totally fine with me. There's something comforting about Paul being essentially human in nature, yet not at all; he's cool, easygoing, down to earth (pun intended). He smokes (cigarettes and weed), swears, gets drunk, and references pop culture. It's hard not to like Paul.
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have built-in chemistry, and Rogen sidles in to the mix quite nicely. Overall though, there begins to be too many supporting players, with Kristen Wiig tagging along as the evolution-denying religious nutcase (she has a t-shirt with Jesus shooting Charles Darwin), the three FBI agents on their tail, two rednecks (three if you count Wiig's dad), and Jane Lynch, Blythe Danner and Sigourney Weaver all making small appearances. None of these people give bad performances (Bill Hader is predictably hilarious as the bumbling FBI agent), but a lot of times I just wanted more focus on the three stars of the film.
The movie does get caught up a couple times in lambasting religion, but at least it doesn't hijack the plot (I'm looking at you, "Invention of Lying"). And the stereotypical bible-toting, shotgun-bearing redneck comes close to ruining the whole thing. Like Paul says, "Whatever, dude". Overall, the movie "Paul" is a lot like its title character. It's goofy, light-hearted, maybe a bit thin, but overall a great time and leaves you with a smile on your face.
Ironically, part of what makes the character of Paul so unique is just how normal he seems to be, which is as refreshing as it is unlikely. The character of Paul is basically if Seth Rogen was an alien, which again, is totally fine with me. There's something comforting about Paul being essentially human in nature, yet not at all; he's cool, easygoing, down to earth (pun intended). He smokes (cigarettes and weed), swears, gets drunk, and references pop culture. It's hard not to like Paul.
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have built-in chemistry, and Rogen sidles in to the mix quite nicely. Overall though, there begins to be too many supporting players, with Kristen Wiig tagging along as the evolution-denying religious nutcase (she has a t-shirt with Jesus shooting Charles Darwin), the three FBI agents on their tail, two rednecks (three if you count Wiig's dad), and Jane Lynch, Blythe Danner and Sigourney Weaver all making small appearances. None of these people give bad performances (Bill Hader is predictably hilarious as the bumbling FBI agent), but a lot of times I just wanted more focus on the three stars of the film.
The movie does get caught up a couple times in lambasting religion, but at least it doesn't hijack the plot (I'm looking at you, "Invention of Lying"). And the stereotypical bible-toting, shotgun-bearing redneck comes close to ruining the whole thing. Like Paul says, "Whatever, dude". Overall, the movie "Paul" is a lot like its title character. It's goofy, light-hearted, maybe a bit thin, but overall a great time and leaves you with a smile on your face.
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