Review of "Paul"
Aliens: They're either out to take over the planet or they're cute as all get out.
"Paul" is an alien of the cute variety, spiked with a number of unsavory and rude but thoroughly enjoyable habits. After he miraculously brings a bird back to life he promptly stuffs it in his mouth and eats it. He tends to moon people. He enjoys cursing. And he sounds a lot like Seth Rogen.
That's because "Paul" is voiced by Seth Rogen, and Rogen's groggy expertise with voiceovers is about all that makes you buy the cheap-rubber-suit look of "Paul." The whole thing is so silly it doesn't matter if it's realistic. The same can be said of the entire movie.
"Paul" stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the amiably mismatched Brits who sent up zombie movies in the brilliant "Shaun of the Dead" and then sent up cop movies in the not-quite-brilliant but still pretty funny "Hot Fuzz."
This time around the duo are sharing writing credits — "Superbad" director Greg Mottola directs — while sending up movies about extraterrestrials. The results are, again, not-quite-brilliant but funny enough. Pegg and Frost play Graeme and Clive, two British nerds who decide to tour the U.S in an RV, looking at famous sites of supposed alien landings.
Wouldn't you know they pick up an actual alien along the way? That would be "Paul," who has escaped a government facility after 60 years. He wants to go home; so bingo, you've got an instant alien-nerds road-trip movie.
Throw in a very funny Kristen Wiig as a Christian fundamentalist who suddenly sees the other light and you've got gags-a-plenty. Too many, in fact, as the film runs about half an hour too long.
Apparently silly aliens aren't much for self-editing. But they are good for a laugh, and so is "Paul."
"Paul" is an alien of the cute variety, spiked with a number of unsavory and rude but thoroughly enjoyable habits. After he miraculously brings a bird back to life he promptly stuffs it in his mouth and eats it. He tends to moon people. He enjoys cursing. And he sounds a lot like Seth Rogen.
That's because "Paul" is voiced by Seth Rogen, and Rogen's groggy expertise with voiceovers is about all that makes you buy the cheap-rubber-suit look of "Paul." The whole thing is so silly it doesn't matter if it's realistic. The same can be said of the entire movie.
"Paul" stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the amiably mismatched Brits who sent up zombie movies in the brilliant "Shaun of the Dead" and then sent up cop movies in the not-quite-brilliant but still pretty funny "Hot Fuzz."
This time around the duo are sharing writing credits — "Superbad" director Greg Mottola directs — while sending up movies about extraterrestrials. The results are, again, not-quite-brilliant but funny enough. Pegg and Frost play Graeme and Clive, two British nerds who decide to tour the U.S in an RV, looking at famous sites of supposed alien landings.
Wouldn't you know they pick up an actual alien along the way? That would be "Paul," who has escaped a government facility after 60 years. He wants to go home; so bingo, you've got an instant alien-nerds road-trip movie.
Throw in a very funny Kristen Wiig as a Christian fundamentalist who suddenly sees the other light and you've got gags-a-plenty. Too many, in fact, as the film runs about half an hour too long.
Apparently silly aliens aren't much for self-editing. But they are good for a laugh, and so is "Paul."
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posted by Tom at
10:22 AM
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