Paul*

'Paul' is a science fiction alien road trip excursion directed by Greg Mottola, the director of 'Superbad' and 'Adventureland'. It is written to perfection by the stars of the movie, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.  Nick and Simon are also the stars of 'Shaun of the Dead' and 'Hot Fuzz' (Simon was co-writer on both films), two movies that are cult favorites known for excellent dialogue and character development. It is no surprise that Simon and Nick ('Paul' is Nick's first dip in the writing pool) have crafted a character driven, laugh out loud homage to cult science fiction movies.

Now, when i say homage, don't get me wrong.  This is not a 'Disaster Movie' or 'Dance Flick' with no coherent plot and terrible acting. 'Paul' is very well written and almost every character is believable. The comedy aspect is definitely on the front of the table, but behind it all is a tender and sometimes sad story about survival and friendship.

'Paul' is about two British sci-fi fans who go to the United States to attend a Comic-con and then travel the country passing through areas believed to be sites of extra-terrestrial activity. The real fun happens when the two are stopped on the side of the road at The Black Mailbox (a very well known spot to watch the skies) and are guilt tripped into letting an alien named Paul (voiced excellently by Seth Rogen) catch a ride with them.

Following the trail of the escaped Paul, is hard-ass FBI agent Zoil played brilliantly by Jason Bateman. Bateman plays Agent Zoil as the most serious character in the film, which is hard to do amid all the chaos and excitement Paul has created. Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio play bumbling Agents Haggard and O'Reilly eager to catch Paul before Agent Zoil does, so they can prove their use-fullness to the ever unseen 'Big Guy'.  Paul and the guys pick up one last character, the overly religious nut named Ruth (Kristen Wiig) who's inability to string together a proper curse sets up several cheesy, but on the whole, funny moments.


What follows is a crazy trip across the country littered with science fiction movie references from Mac & Me to Aliens to Star Wars to E.T. and everything in-between, along with several cameos such as; Jane Lynch, Jeffrey Tambor, David Koechner, John Carroll Lynch and even Stephen Spielberg. It was extremely funny and exciting while remaining true to its science fiction roots.

There are only a few things that I can list that I didn't necessarily like about this movie. One was originality. A few times throughout the movie I noticed that it was getting very predictable.This may have been paying homage to all the predictable sci-fi movies that came before it, but it still felt over done. Another was the relationship between Pegg and Frost's characters in the movie.  They seemed, at times, awkward playing such close friends seeing as how in their previous films their relationship was not as emotional. These few things hindered me from rating this film any higher.

So, to finish, I really enjoyed this movie. You have to be able to laugh at stupid British humor while enjoying a good hearted buddy movie. Don't be surprised when, after a few key plot devices, you get a little misty-eyed for all your characters. I eagerly await the next collaboration between Simon and Nick.

I don't have a system of rating yet, you know, like Shawn Edward's Popcorn Bags or the ever popular 5 Star rating system. Plus, I think 5 of something isn't enough to properly rate anything. Maybe you guys could help me figure out something unique and entertaining. For now I'll give 'Paul' 7 somethings out of 10. You should definitely see this one!

"Hasta la vista, Baby."

*edit with help from /r/movies