Before I start, I want to say one thing; "Paul" is like a roller coaster and, much like a roller coaster, it should come with a warning.
You should not ride "Paul" if you suffer from:
- Vulgar Language Sensitivity
- Over-Abundant Nationalism or
- Underwhelming Enthusiasm for Sci-Fi References
Or if you are prone to:
- Being Offended By Religious Jokes,
- Being Offended By Sexual Jokes,
- Being Annoyed With Slapstick Humor
*Or if you have Feelings that are easily Hurt.
If none of the above symptoms apply to you, you will probably enjoy Paul. You'll especially enjoy it if you are a fan of popular Sci-Fi, including (but definitely not limited to) Star Wars, Star Trek, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Alien, and E.T. Or if you have Simon Pegg's other movies chilling on your DVD rack.
Like "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz", "Paul" is a veritable reference-palooza. It is a movie that is hanging so many Lampshades that it will almost certainly fight in the shade and it likes to subvert popular tropes almost as frequently (if not more frequently) as it utilizes them.
The characters are well-developed foils to one another, each of them unique but all with lovable characteristics. As the voice of Paul, Seth Rogen has the Jerk With a Heart of Gold angle down pat and its hard not to like this loud, abrasive life form from another planet. That's even factoring in that (spoiler) he accidentally crashes his spaceship on the head of golden retriever in the first five minutes of the movie. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as an artist and a writer are fun and easy to relate with and there's an equality between them that doesn't exist in their other movies.
Like "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz", "Paul" is a veritable reference-palooza. It is a movie that is hanging so many Lampshades that it will almost certainly fight in the shade and it likes to subvert popular tropes almost as frequently (if not more frequently) as it utilizes them.
The characters are well-developed foils to one another, each of them unique but all with lovable characteristics. As the voice of Paul, Seth Rogen has the Jerk With a Heart of Gold angle down pat and its hard not to like this loud, abrasive life form from another planet. That's even factoring in that (spoiler) he accidentally crashes his spaceship on the head of golden retriever in the first five minutes of the movie. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as an artist and a writer are fun and easy to relate with and there's an equality between them that doesn't exist in their other movies.
In fact, even if you aren't a rabid Sci-Fi fan, you may still
like this movie, just for Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and the voice-acting
of Seth Rogen. Oh, and did I mention Jason Bateman? How about Bill
Hadder or Blythe Danner or one of the other dozen cameos? Seriously,
they're everywhere. And every actor is doing exactly what he or she
needs to be doing in order to make the movie an enjoyable experience.
The only complaint might be with the complexity of the plot.
That is to say, it isn't really complex. Not at all. But maybe that's
the way it should be. After all, this is a movie about
growth-of-character, birth-of-inspiration, and love-of-comedy. And there's certainly more
than enough of that to go around.
Plus it's only $1 out of Redbox. Just sayin'
Plus it's only $1 out of Redbox. Just sayin'
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