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Simon Pegg is one funny guy. In fact, when I see his name attached to a movie, I breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that Pegg could make a reading of my old astronomy textbook entertaining. Team him with Nick Frost, and you can pretty much be guaranteed a wonderfully wacky comedic adventure. Now, in their latest collaboration, Pegg and Frost have come Stateside, teaming up with Superbad director Greg Mottola and a whole host of Hollywood favorites for an irreverently otherworldly fanboy comedy.
Geeky Brits Graeme Willy (Pegg) and Clive Gollings (Frost) have always dreamed of traveling to the States to attend the annual geek-fest, Comic-Con. And now that they’ve made it, they’re extending their dream vacation by renting an RV and visiting the country’s biggest UFO hotspots.
Just outside Area 51, they witness a car accident. When they go to check it out, they find Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen), a little green man who’s desperately in need of their help. For the last 60 years, he’s been living at a top-secret location, passing on his alien knowledge. But now that his knowledge is no longer useful, the military is ready to start doing some deadly experiments—so Paul’s gone on the run.
With Paul hidden in their RV, Graeme and Clive head out on the road trip of a lifetime—closely followed by a band of federal agents and one angry dad.
Pegg and Frost are known for making movies that defy classification—and Paul is no different. In fact, if you were to add up its parts, you’d probably have to call it an outrageous romantic slacker sci-fi road trip caper comedy. But it’s that quirky, unexpected style that makes the film amusing. And because it wears so many different hats (or, perhaps more appropriately, such a variety of geeky fanboy shirts), there’s rarely a dull moment.
Paul is a fanboy’s dream. It’s loaded with slacker comedy and references to a myriad of sci-fi classics (many of which, I’m sure, went flying right over my head). And, for that reason, it somehow manages to be both clever and idiotic—often at the same time.
Fortunately, though, you don’t have to be a comic book geek to appreciate the humor. Sure, if you haven’t spent much of your life locked in a dark room, consuming a steady diet of Star Wars, Aliens, and Spielberg movies, you won’t laugh quite as hard as those who have. But the sci-fi references are worked into the script so well that (for the most part) if you don’t get a reference, you won’t feel like you’re missing out on an important inside joke.
Paul isn’t as brilliant (or as surprising) as Pegg and Frost’s Shaun of the Dead. The comedy doesn’t always hit its mark—and the excessive adult language gets a bit old after a while. But lovably nerdy Clive and Graeme, paired with slacker alien Paul (with Jason Bateman’s uptight Agent Zoil in hot pursuit), make Paul a kooky and action-packed comedy that’s a must-see for the Comic-Con crowd—and a geeky good time for the rest of us. It’s guaranteed to be the best outrageous romantic slacker sci-fi road trip caper comedy you’ll see all year.
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