Quick Movie Review: Paul (2011)

Paul (2011)

Bottomline: A movie made by geeks for geeks. I'm not so sure non-geeks will get this.

Filter Question: Do you know what a Gorn is? If you know the answer to this question, you will love this movie.

Wow. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost Are Really Funny -- What Else Can I See Them In? I have two recommendations, both written by Pegg and Frost, and directed by Edgar Wright: Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Hot Fuzz (2007).

Paul Riffs on Many Films. See If You Can Find References to: Jaws, Men In Black, Predator, Star Trek, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Aliens, and many, many others.

Note: Wilhelm Scream Alert!!

QMR Opinion: This movie is enjoyable and fun, but, at the end, I wondered how much better it would have been had Edgar Wright been able to direct his two friends, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. The movie is funny, but there are jokes that are incredible duds. The premise is strong, but could have been leveraged much better. Paul is an alien that has been stuck on Earth since 1947 and he is played well by Seth Rogen and the CG animation is terrific. The movie was directed by Greg Mottola who directed Superbad (2007) and Adventureland (2009). It seemed to me that Mottola may have let Pegg and Frost have too much freedom and, as such, there are parts of the film that get incredibly draggy and just don't work. Two examples: There is an initial scene with Kristen Wiig that pokes fun at fundamentalist Christians. Yes, it's funny for that moment. But the joke becomes a running joke and it gets old and boring really quick. Second example: The movie turns inexplicably violent right at the end. It really took me by surprise and there is a moment at the end that had me rolling my eyes. A guest appearance by Jane Lynch is terrific.