Movie Review: Paul

“Paul” is a sci-fi comedy and, for an unapologetic film geek like myself, the premise of this movie for me is like a moth to the flame: Simon Peg & Nick Frost play two buddies on a road trip to see Comic-Con (that convention for all things comic book & movie related, held annually in San Diego.) On their way home, they venture out to the infamous Area 15 and, in the process, meet an extraterrestrial, named Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen), on the run from government agents (which includes Jason Bateman & Bill Hader.) And, of course, R-rated raunchy shenanigans ensue, as our heroes befriend a woman, played by the always awesome Kristin Wiig, and make their way across the country leaving a trail of wrecked cars, explosions, and a lot of sci-fi movie references in their wake.

I am a big fan of Simon Peg & Nick Frost (“Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz” are both equally fun!) One of the things that I loved most about those hilarious movies (which they co-wrote with director Edgar Wright) is that they seemed like love letters to the kinds of movies they grew up loving (zombie movies, cop movies, ect.) Obviously, much of that love also came from Edgar Wright, who sits this one out (no doubt to direct his own "geeksploitation" epic, "Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World.") This time, Greg Motolla (director of “Superbad”) is at the helm and he does an excellent job of keeping the laughs coming, while also bringing in touches of those great sci-fi movies from the late 70’s/early 80’s that Pegg & Frost also grew up loving.

But what keeps all of the humor and movie references grounded is the wonderful chemistry between Frost & Pegg. They play two geeky, yet very sweet, men who have always dreamed of what might happen if they ever had a “close encounter.” The answer is a lot more than they bargained for with Paul, who Rogen manages to bring, not only hilarity, but also a genuine sweetness to. He is an alien who was once a guest of our government (even consulting on many Hollywood alien themed films, including one very famous film, in particular), who has become a prisoner destined for medical experimentation. Now, he just wants to go home.

The rest of the cast is also a lot of fun. Jason Bateman plays against type as a stern Men In Black-like agent who will stop at nothing to get Paul back to the base he broke out of. Also, Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio play a couple of humorous bumbling agents, and there are funny cameos from Jeffery Tambor, Jane Lynch, and Sigourney Weaver (not to mention a very famous filmmaker who also happens to be my absolute favorite director of ALL TIME!) Kristin Wiig, as usual, steals most of her scenes and seems on her way to more leading roles.  She has an unforced charm that makes her comedic antics (even frequent profane outbursts) seem completely natural.

Overall, I really liked “Paul”! It may not be as good of a comedy as “Shaun of the Dead” (or even “Hot Fuzz”), but it doesn’t matter because it successfully continues the Pegg/Frost tradition of being a hilarious, yet good-natured, love letter to the movies themselves. Many of these films are also ones that I grew up loving (and still hold a special place in my heart for): “Jaws”, “Star Wars”, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, “Indiana Jones”, “E.T.”, “Back to the Future”, ect. But for all of these sweet tempered references, this movie is also a love letter to the idea of geekdom itself. Deep down, we are all probably geeks about something; it seems only human to have hearts that yearn for something to be passionate about. This movie tugged those passion strings in my own heart and subsequently conjured up warm feelings of nostalgia. Watching “Paul” reminded me of the kind of movie I would’ve enjoyed seeing at a drive-in movie theater, on a breezy summer night, with real buttered popcorn in my lap, a cold soda in my hand, and a starlit sky above my head. 

Movie Theater Experience:
I saw "Paul" on Friday, March 18th at a 9:55pm show. The theater was the AMC at the Mall of America. Overall, it was a great experience! The digital projection was crisp & clear, the surround sound was fantastic, and the audience seemed to really enjoy themselves (no talking during the movie; just the wonderful sound of laughter.) Although, does anyone else notice how popcorn containers seem to be increasing in size? AMC seems to have abolished their small popcorn leaving only medium and large (with a large being only 50 cents more.) Is this part of a scheme to charge more money? Or, is it just part of some paranoid conspiracy to ensure that humanity fulfills the "Wall-E" prophecy of a future society so overweight that we cannot even walk ourselves around? Hey, some days I feel like that, too!