Paul

Director: Greg Motolla
Writers: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig
Release Date: March 18, 2011
Length: 1 hour 44 minutes

British Comedy duo, Nick Frost and Simon Pegg, of hilarious films such as Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, team up with producer Judd Apatow and the director of Superbad to give us the road trip sci-fi comedy, Paul.  Graeme (Pegg) and Clive (Frost) are two comic book geeks who have traveled from their homeland, England to San Diego, California for the Comic-Con convention, the start of their UFO hotspot road trip across America. After their stop in Area 51, the pair gets into a car collision on the highway, where they meet the laid-back Alien from the Andromeda galaxy, Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen). After getting over their immense initial shock, they figure out Paul’s ship crashed there sixty years ago and Paul’s been working for the American government ever since. Now that the government wants possession of Paul’s brain, he’s on the run and needs Clive and Graeme to take him to a particular location in the U.S., quickly, with no questions asked. The three begin their journey and pick up Christian-crazed Ruth (Kristen Wiig) along the way who catches the eye of Graeme. Meanwhile, the group is being pursued by juvenile FBI agents, Haggard (Bill Hader) and O’Reilly (Joe Lo Trugilo), led by the mean, Head Agent Zoil (Jason Bateman). This film seems to be a collaboration from all the different well-known comedy groups of popular culture today. The film is produced by Judd Apatow and has his muse, Seth Rogen in the title role, while the film also stars two of Britain’s most well known comedians, Frost and Pegg, who wrote the script together as well. To top it all off, SNL cast members Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader lend their crazy humor to this already jam-packed movie. Despite all this comedic talent, the word to best describe this film is not funny but sweet. From the lovable bromance between Frost and Pegg, to the cute love story between Kristen Wiig and Simon Pegg’s characters, to the adorable character of the extraterrestrial Seth Rogen, Paul’s got major charm. That is not to say that this film wasn’t funny and even sometimes hilarious. Clive and Graeme’s British clever wit and innocence mixed with Paul’s American blunt and crude demeanor created a hysterical chemistry and contrast for the film. The way Rogen made Paul seem like a tranquil wise-ass stoner made the movie and you surprisingly had to remind yourself constantly that he wasn’t human. The second best thing was the presence and talent of the uncontrollably hilarious Kristen Wiig. Wiig is the savior of every film she appears in and her character was the reason this film rose above a mediocre level. She is no stranger to crazy characters, acting on Saturday Night Live every week, and her fanatical performance as the childlike Ruth was brilliant in this film. Bill Hader and Joe Lo Trugilo were also hilarious together as the immature petty agents chasing Paul and Jason Bateman gave a strong performance as the sharp and feared Agent Zoil. Even Blythe Danner and Jane Lynch, who had cameos, added different kinds of humor to the film. Every actor’s comedic performance made the film what it was worth, due to the lack of a solid script. Frost and Pegg created a unique and amusing premise to a script that had many humorous parts. Unfortunately as a whole, the story didn’t have a vast amount of intrigue or liveliness. Paul is definitely not one of the funniest films of the year, but with the exceptional cast, you are promised to laugh during this endearing movie.