Movie Review: Paul

Somewhere amidst all the homework, club responsibility, a college sponsored dance, and enticing video games, I managed to agree to actually have a relaxed night out with friends. And we went to see Paul!

And a month later, after crap tons of work, and volunteering to be in the orchestra of a musical, I finally finished the review. I don't think it's even in theatres anymore....Crud

Now, I wasn't so sure how it would be, but anything with Simon Pegg in it can't be awful. Then again, I've only seen him in Shaun of the Dead and Doctor Who, but he was so totally awesome in both so I'm a fan. Turns out he's as great a writer as he is an actor. Which is to say, incredibly offbeat and unexpected, but very enjoyable. Don't believe me? Check out this:

This may be a bit of an odd way to complement a movie, but it's very well written and cut. There's not a single scene that doesn't do something. I never wondered how long it had been, or how close we were to the end; the whole thing flowed really well.

Anyways, if you're a fan of alien-based SciFy and can take bunches of crude and nerdy humor, I highly recommend it. Check out the full review after the jump (but beware, there might be moderate spoilers, I'll try to not be specific).

Bottom Line -

SciFy: A surprisingly original mature-humor take on the "there's been an alien on Earth the whole time" story. Tons of references for any SciFy fan - the movie really focuses much more on the SciFy culture and media rather than actual science fiction.

...is For Lovers: You'll totally see it coming, but the main romance is still adorable and hilariously quirky. Tons of sexual jokes, mostly from Paul himself.

Paul: Seth Rogan as a crude talking alien sounded to me like anything Seth Rogen has ever done before. And yet, I totally forgot it was him and actually ending up really liking the character. A very very different take on little grey men among us - not only has he totally absorbed our culture, he understands it and enjoys it. He's very much one of the guys...once he convinces them he's not going to probe them in their sleep.

Simon Pegg/Nick Frost: Hilariously adorable as two hopeless nerds from England traveling across the US on an alien-themed sight seeing trip. They're totally believable as best friends from the moment the movie starts, and all their scenes together seem endearing without being unnaturally emotional. 

Jason Bateman/The Suits: If there's comedy for comedy's sake, it's these guys. In pursuit of Paul over the course of the movie, the three of them keep up a constant combination of looming Men in Black presence to provide suspense as well as being total dicks you love to laugh at. The identity of their boss will keep you in total suspense until the moment she shows up on screen...

The Hitchhikers: Absolutely adorable. Over the course of their journey, the male trio manages to add two more women to their merry band, and they are wonderful additions. Even the romantic lead is so much more interesting than just as adorable eye candy for Simon Pegg's - her story might be the funniest of the whole gang. I particularly love her scene with Simon Pegg after Paul rapidly changes her whole world view. 

Humor: Crude. But funny. Which is actually a huge compliment from me, cause I'm rarely a fan of crude humor. The defining feature is that even admist all the curse words, rude gestures, and sexual implications, it's almost always still a plot point. There's a reason for the conversation happening - it's not just a funny scene cause they thought they needed to get a laugh from the audience at this point. Even Jane Lynch's cameo as a waitress in an alien themed restaurant is both hilarious and important to the plot. Very little of it is slapstick (which I can only stand in small amounts) - so much of it is conveyed in body language, like Simon Pegg trying to remain unnoticed from a bunch of hicks so he doesn't have to talk and show that he's a scrawny and British nerd. I laughed so much more than I expected to.

To sum up, if you like R-rated humor and tons of alien sci-fy references, absolutely see this movie! And if you only kinda like R-rated humor, still see it. I bet you'll like it anyways.

Back to work for me...