If you go by the previews, “Paul” is another one of those stupid comedies full of pratfalls and potty humor so I wasn’t expecting much. It also illustrates that if you set the bar low enough, you can be pleasantly surprised. “Paul” turns out to be a genial road trip and buddy movie that provides science fiction fans with numerous references to influential sci-fi movies, including Star Wars, Aliens, Close Encounters and E.T. Best buds Graeme (Simon Pegg) and Clive (Nick Frost) are visiting the US from England to see, first, San Diego’s Comic Con and then take a RV trip though the Southwest to see classic UFO spots. Somewhere along the way they run into Paul (voiced by Seth Rogan), a laid-back, weed-smoking E.T. on the run from a US government agency that has kept him prisoner for 60 years. After some persuasion, Graeme and Clive agree to help Paul get to where he can be rescued and taken to his home planet. They try to avoid three Feds (Jason Bateman, Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio) and two vicious rednecks. They also adopt, maybe kidnap, Ruth Buggs (Kristin Wiif), a Christian fundamentalist who runs a RV park with her father. Sigourney Weaver is the mostly unseen voice of the head of the agency that wants to dissect Paul to see what’s in his brain.
The main problem with “Paul” is that the jokes become old after a while. Paul has a few magic powers, such as resurrecting the dead, but having languished in confinement for decades on Earth, he’s picked up a few bad habits. He drinks, he swears, he smokes both cigarettes and weed, and he wears short that hang dangerously low. But how many times can you joke about Paul’s habits? And because scriptwriters Pegg and Frost are Brits, the secondary characters are especially thin. Is it because they don’t really know people who populate America and have to resort to stereotypes? Part bromance, part sci-fi tribute, “Paul” is better than expected if you don’t expect too much. 3/21/11
1 comment:
Seth Rogan voices "Paul", a kind of "hipp" alien who ran his spaceship aground (turns out he's a lousy driver)and hooks up with a couple of sci-fi ninnies on their way from an alien convention. Paul was captured by the US government and was making his getaway. This is really silly stuff with all the rank toilet humor you would expect from Seth Rogan. Skip it!!
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