Directed by:
Greg MottolaCinematography:
Lawrence SherComposer:
David ArnoldCast:
Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jason Bateman, Bill Hader, Jane Lynch, Jeffrey Tambor, Blythe Danner, David Koechner, Jesse Plemons (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) reunite for the comedy adventure Paul as two sci-fi geeks whose pilgrimage takes them to America's UFO heartland. While there, they accidentally meet an alien who brings them on an insane road trip that alters their universe forever. For the past 60 years, an alien named Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen) has been hanging out at a top-secret military base. When he discovers he's been taken prisoner, 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 (Pegg) and Clive Gollings (Frost). 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... (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (11)
The idea that an alien being, an until recently fundamentalist Christian, and two basement nerds discover the world and are therefore not particularly different from each other has wonderful potential and invites endlessly funny confrontations worth multiple series. So why the funniest component of the film is a federal "higher power" on their asses is indeed a mystery. It's probably because the screenwriter decided that if there weren't at least 16 lighter moments in every scene, it just wouldn't be it. Unfortunately, though, he didn't think any deeper about the fact that to make it work it's good to build on the jokes and build up the jokes, not drop them like eggs onto a conveyor belt. As such, though Paul makes it through quite deftly every time it threatens to get bogged down in the ballast of sentimentality, just as often you'll find yourself while watching it dropping a "he he he" and a "why" in the same sentence.
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The trailers gave me the impression that it would be some kind of childish and embarrassingly vulgar nonsense, but I like science fiction and I gave Paul a chance, even though I was almost sure I would bury it later. And lo and behold! It’s pretty funny. A nice wisecracking comedy that as a bonus sticks its tongue out to Christianity several times. I had fun. 75 %
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I honestly like the work of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost a lot. It's a slightly different kind of humor that, when done well and tastefully (and that's really true in this case), usually works brilliantly. Another very ill-matched (or well-matched?) pair of protagonists who live in their own worlds, yearn for an alien encounter, and their collisions with the real world usually end in disaster. The cadence of jokes and gags may not be as killer this time around as in, say, Hot Fuzz, but it's richly balanced by the laid-back atmosphere that oozes from the entire film, and I actually liked the slight pathos at the end quite a bit.
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Excellent comedy with one alien, which shows that the Pegg/Frost duo can work even without director Edgar Wright's guidance. Additionally, it's a great opportunity for Seth Rogen, who showcases his best acting, that is, his voice. For nerds, it's almost a must-watch, perhaps that's why I liked it so much.
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Despite the clichés and a hint of sentimentality in the ending, I found myself enjoying the film. Simon Pegg's style gets me every time – flaws and all, the guy can make me laugh. Nick Frost has the same effect on me. Plus, there's something delightful about someone expressing a blind (or semi-blind) faith in a higher power. I could almost hear the sound of fanatical Christians grinding their teeth. Overall, this film managed to lift my mood and I haven't even mentioned the joy of having Kristen Wiig in the mix. / Lesson learned: Choose the location for your final speech very, very carefully.
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Gallery (72)
Photo © The Weinstein Company
![Paul - Making of](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/160/804/160804139_4816e0.jpg)
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