Movie Review: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost's Paul
Review of the comic/sci fi flick Paul
Paul is the new science fiction comedy written and starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. It also stars The Green Hornet's Seth Rogen as the voice of Paul, the not so lovable little green man.
Simon Pegg plays Graeme Willy and Nick Frost plays Clive Gollings, two British Comic fans and writers who are in the US for Comic Con. While in the states the 2 Brits want to see all the secret and popular alien destinations like Area 51. So after leaving San Diego, they head out on the road in an RV to see the sites.
While driving through a long and winding road, a car is coming at them quickly. They try to avoid it, but a disaster occurs and that's when they meet Paul. Paul crashed landed on Earth years ago and is more American than his two new friends. He's escaped what he thought was his home, but was really a prison and now wants to make contact and go home. Graeme wants to help, but Clive is hesitant at first, but eventually the three head out in the RV together.
On the road they encounter men trying to find the escaped Paul. Also they have to "kidnap" Ruth, a one eyed, Bible thumping Christian who immediately can't understand what's going on and how aliens are real. Now being chased by the authorities, Ruth's father and two rednecks who somehow keep winding up in the same place as them, Paul knows where he needs to go to get home.
Paul is a fanboys dream come true. It is pretty close to the ultimate fanboys movie and is a better movie than the movie Fanboys. Fans of Pegg/Frost's previous work (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), will surely like Paul. There are a ton of comic, science fiction, pop culture references that make you laugh when no one else is. Although Pegg in recent interviews insists there aren't as many references as one would think.
The original script was written before Simon played Scotty in JJ Abrams' Star Trek and had a lot more Trekkie references, but Pegg and Frost decided to cut some of them to not make the movie too confusing for some. The scene where Pegg and Frost are surrounded at the crosswalk originally were supposed to be Borgs, but the script really had to be de-borged.
Pegg and Frost are of course very good and make a great duo even without Edgar Wright directing. Saturday Night Live's Kristen Wiig is very good as Ruth as is another SNL alum, Bill Hader. Hader and Joe Lo Truglio at first are two bumbling agents, but eventually become quality field agents. Jason Bateman should be in almost every movie because he is fantastic as a "Man in Black" and Sigourney Weaver gets some big laughs and leads to a great line by Wiig that sci fi guys will easily get.
If you love references to Star Wars (listen for some music), comics, Aliens, and are fans of Pegg and Frost, Paul is definitely your type of flick. It is funny, almost sweet and a great movie for guys who dig inside jokes.
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murraymaker
3/18/2011
Personal
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