Paul

View this trailer Watch Trailer

Interview With Blue Valentine Director Derek Cianfrance Interview with Simon Pegg & Nick Frost

Release Date: 14 February 2011
Starring: Simon Pegg
Details: US/103mins 15A

Reuniting for the first time since Hot Fuzz, the Pacino and De Niro of the geek world, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, co-star and co-pen this amusing, star heavy production. Bringing along Superbad and Advetureland director Greg Mottola for the ride, and transferring their pop-culture saturated shenanigans to America were both wise moves - as was casting a scene-stealing Seth Rogen. Paul is slight, but an awful lot of fun, and fans and newcomers to the world of Pegg and Frost should find themselves thoroughly entertained.

Pegg and Frost play two British geeks hitting up Comic-Con in San Diego, before taking an unconventional road trip to some of the biggest Alien hot-spots through-out America. The holiday turns out to be even more eventful than they imagined, as they piss off a bunch of hillbillies, god freaks and an unnamed government agency. The latter are hot on their trail on account of their new pal, Paul - a chain smoking, sarcastic alien with a mouth like a possessed teenage girl. He wants off planet earth, and has managed to escape to clutches of the men in black, with the aforementioned geeks his only hope of getting home.

Whilst it certainly borrows liberally from other productions, Pegg and Frost's films have always done so with respect, firmly landing in the (flattering) homage category. Paul is basically Dumb and Dumber with some geek and science fiction elements thrown in to the pot, and mixed by a director who knows funny. Mottola completely gets the tone that Pegg and Frost were going for, and mixes all the elements together coherently. As a road movie, Paul needs to keep moving - not easy with a concoction of characters as vast, and silly, as this. So credit must go to the helmer for his steady hand.

Strangely, not a lot of the comedy comes from Pegg and Frost. They're too daft to be considered straight-up characters, but the chuckles don't transfer to belly laughs until Rogen's ET, Paul, turns up. The Knocked Up actor may only be on screen vocally, but his horsey, dulcet tones are used to their usual acerbic effect. Bateman hasn't a lot to do as the agent chasing them down, while recognisable faces Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio take the stupid to the next level as the bumbling rookies, assigned to help Bateman track down the tourists.

Spaced fans may be a little grated by the broadness of the some of the comedy, but Paul is less indulgent than previous efforts from the pairing, but every bit as fun.

Review by Mike Sheridan

Watch the Entertainment.ie Movie Show Watch the latest Entertainment.ie Movie Show

Big Mommas: Like Father, Like...

Just Go With It

Back to Movie Reviews

Your Comments

sr

Loved it, loved it, loved it. It's like E.T for a more adult audience. Well constructed story, well placed gags with well placed swearing. The casting too is brilliant, on the money. Bateman is deadly as the leading chasing agent supported by two guys who you'll recognise from a few other movies like Super Bad and Super Troopers. Sigourney Weavers voice as the agent's boss, barking out orders over the radios is genius casting too. Pegg/Frost are very natural together and that works so well on the screen. It's well balanced entertaining fun through out. Like all Pegg/Frost movies, it's a bit of a stoner movie, starring a stoner alien. Pokes at religion, mankind and references to other movies all fit in well here. For what it is, it's a 10/10 from me. There's little else they could have done to make it better.

Posted 11/02/2011 09:37:35

sr

Loved it, loved it, loved it. It's like E.T for a more adult audience. Well constructed story, well placed gags with well placed swearing. The casting too is brilliant, on the money. Bateman is deadly as the leading chasing agent supported by two guys who you'll recognise from a few other movies like Super Bad and Super Troopers. Sigourney Weavers voice as the agent's boss, barking out orders over the radios is genius casting too. Pegg/Frost are very natural together and that works so well on the screen. It's well balanced entertaining fun through out. Like all Pegg/Frost movies, it's a bit of a stoner movie, starring a stoner alien. Poking fun at religion, mankind and references to other movies all fit in well here. For what it is, it's a 10/10 from me. There's little else they could have done to make it better.

Posted 11/02/2011 09:38:06

the beat

that good im going again!

Posted 13/02/2011 11:36:20

crustyblaa

A massive disappointment, its a different director from shaun of the dead and hot fuzz and it shows! There's a couple of laughs but overall its very weak with a bland storyline and the alien is a really annoying character, he's just not funny. If u like crappy American comedies you'll like this, if not and your a fan of pegg and frosts stuff you won't. 4/10

Posted 20/02/2011 00:43:00

JPS

As good as Back to the Future? Wow, maybe I might watch this genuine classic.

Posted 20/02/2011 18:45:51

PinkPanther

I went to see this film with very low expectations and it still managed to disappoint me. There is a scene in which the religious, goody-two-shoes girl realises that her life of obedience has been a waste of time. She then begins to swear uncontrollably. That's when I put my head in my hands and started to cry.

Posted 12/03/2011 14:54:40

Login or Register to leave a comment

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed here are those of the viewer and do not reflect those of Entertainment.ie. Entertainment.ie accepts no responsibility, legal or otherwise, for their accuracy of content. Please contact us to report abusive content