moviewizguy

(2012-04-26 20:48:56)

Who's up for a close encounter?

For the past 60 years, an alien named Paul has been hanging out at atop-secret military base. For reasons unknown, the space-travelingsmart ass decides to escape the compound and hop on the first vehicleout of town -- a rented RV containing Earthlings Graeme Willy and CliveGollings. Chased by federal agents and the fanatical father of a youngwoman that they accidentally kidnap, Graeme and Clive hatch a fumblingescape plan to return Paul to his mother ship. And as two nerdsstruggle to help, one little green man might just take his fellowoutcasts from misfits to intergalactic heroes. (C) UniversalI've never really liked comedies so much because comedies released inrecent years have ranged from decent to downright awful (not tomention, predictable). The only ones I seem to find memorable andenjoyable are the ones by Judd Apatow and ones that starred the dynamicduo, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Well, too bad they didn't have EdgarWright to complete the perfect team. PAUL isn't any way a horriblefilm. In fact, it's funny, sweet, and charming. However, it's alsopredictable, clichГѓВ©d, and completely forgettable once the credits roll.I chuckled in many places, but I never really laughed out loud.However, what makes the film work is the character of Paul. He's such avulgar and crude alien, yet endearing and likable at the same time.Seth Rogen was definitely perfect for the role. I didn't think SimonPegg and Nick Frost had much to do here. They were just playing avariation of their past roles in SHAUN OF THE DEAD and HOT FUZZ.Nothing special. I thought Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader stood out themost. They provide some of the film's most funniest jokes. There's alsoa cameo by a famous actor/actress that's pretty neat, but I shall notruin the surprise.One thing I do think that would have made me enjoy the film more was ifI were a bigger nerd, and I say that as a compliment. It was obviousthere were many pop culture references (to certain sci-fi films andother stuff) but most of them just went over my head. While peoplesitting next to me were laughing out hysterically, I felt, wait forit...very alienated. Apparently, I'm not that huge of a sci-fi fan thanI thought I was.I found PAUL to be decent entertainment to kill off a couple of hoursbut nothing more. It's like junk food, but I guess you've heard thatanalogy many times already: It's not good to consume but enjoy it whileit lasts.

(2012-04-26 10:28:16)

Disappointing

Paul (Voice of Rogan) is an alien who crashed to earth about 60-yrsago, escapes from Area 51, hitches a ride with Graeme (Pegg) and Clive(Frost), 2-Englishmen on vacation in the USA. Paul is headed toward thelanding site where his mother ship will pick him up. When I saw the promos, they made me laugh and I almost ran to get theDVD when it became available. I will never learn. I have the tendencyto believe in what I think are good things much too quickly. Woe is me. In a nutshell, they are being chased by gov't agents, Ruth's (Wiig)religious fanatical father, and 2-burly biker types (sorry, didn't knowwhat else to call them) who drove an SUV, not bikes So the plot is a simple one and had the capacity for some big yuks.Didn't happen. It took about a half hour before Paul comes on the sceneand the banter between Graeme and Clive before that was nothing butlame and that lameness continued throughout. They were never funny.Ruth becomes a veritable dictionary of profanity when Paul convincesher they (people of earth) are not alone in the universe. So shedecides to go against everything religious she believed in. Herprofanity laced dialogue was meant to be funny, I am sure. Just didn'thappen and it was embarrassing and annoying. Segourney Weaver was okay as the voice to agent Zoil (Bateman) but wasnot convincing when she physically shows up near the end. Kind ofawkward scenes with her. (So you didn't like most of it. What did you like?) I thought Rogan asthe voice of Paul was pure genius. He had some good lines but couldhave been given more. In a flashback to his Area 51 days Paul is on thephone with Steven Spielberg (his actual voice we are told) who iswriting ET and we are reminded of Forest Gump and Elvis.I liked Jason Bateman who is becoming quite an accomplished actor. He'sfun to watch. The CGI for Paul was exceptional. I guess it was CGI. That wasn't areal alien, was it? Huh?At the end of the movie when the space ship is lifting off and ourcharacters are watching in the foreground, we see other human-likefigures in the background far left. Who were they? Ah, someone goofed. Overall, not funny, lame dialogue and sight gags and……. well, justdisappointing. Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Crude sexual content: Yes, loaded.Language: Yes, throughout.

andystill

(2012-04-21 16:33:31)

Very disappointing

I laughed for the first 15 minutes or so of the movie as all of thepreviewed "funny scenes" were shown. I expected the rest of the movieto be as funny, and was very disappointed. Paul was all down-hill fromthere. If the negative characterization of "Christians" was aboutMuslims, gays, or Jews, the film would have been slammed as "hatepropaganda". It was really that bad. Don't waste your time or money ona movie that really does preach hate for a people-group and has noother redeeming value. The hate propaganda is so simplistic anduneducated that it is exposed as mean and derogatory. Tired, old, repetitive, and barely creative sophomoric humor failed toentertain for the last two-thirds of the movie, and I was simply leftfeeling cheated and abused. Several attempts at humor could have beenlaughable if it weren't so poorly performed by the "actress" portrayingthe Christian girl "freed" by the alien and geek abduction. In my opinion, not even worth a rental.

Roger Ebert

(2012-04-21 08:50:44)

Here's a movie that teeters on the edge of being really pretty good and loses its way.

anonymous

(2012-04-20 10:11:03)

I don't get offended, but...

Movie was not that funny. I almost walked out, which would have been the first time ever. There is making fun of Christians in a fun way, which I can laugh at. This was not an effort to be funny, but an effort to display Christian beliefs as ignorant, practiced by a small group of nuts that need to be enlightened.When the girl thanks the alien and uses the line "you freed me" in reference to him enlightening her of the wrongs of her Christian beliefs. As if he freed her from Christianity.Too much for me.

napierslogs

(2012-04-20 04:04:32)

You should meet "Paul", a classic alien who is charming and funny

Two nerds from London, Clive (Nick Frost) and Graeme (Simon Pegg), areon the lam after Comic Con. So begins the road trip element of "Paul".The humour begins when they meet Paul, an alien, on the run from themen in black. Some of the humour is along the lines of Clive peeing hispants when he sees Paul—yes, pretty childish, but funny enough.The film is an homage to, and a spoof of, all the alien movies andstories. It also includes all the classic elements of Hollywoodstories, romance, love, friendship, death-defying situations, but itall works. Rather than being its downfall, it is its saving grace.Of course at the heart of all this is Paul (Seth Rogen), the classicgrey alien with a big head and all-seeing blue eyes. And yes, he smokespot, but no, he does not perform anal probes. Seth Rogen is Seth Rogen,but I like him, I find him funny, endearing, and real, and all of thatcharm comes through in Paul.I laughed most of the way through "Paul". I'm not a comic book geek, soI'm sure I probably even missed half of their alien pop culture jokes.The humour ranges from silly and adolescent to biting religiouscommentary, and it mostly works. Any nerds on the lam after Comic Conshould enjoy meeting "Paul" as much Clive, Graeme, and myself did.Follow my blog Napierslogs' Movie Expositions athttp://napierslogs.blogspot.com

jadakiss602

(2012-04-13 11:38:13)

Great funny film to see w/ friends. nothing more nothing less.

First off let me explain my rating system. I gave this film a 6 out of10.Which in my system is pretty high. 7 is the highest I give comediesbecause for me to get an 8 or a 9 you need an exceptional story,acting, and the movie needs to be very original, something comedy filmsrarely do.10 I almost never give. So a 6 fits this film.Why? This is most definitively a great comedy. Simon Pegg and NickFrost always make a fantastic likable duo. 1they pretty much are theheart and soul of the film. Seth Rogen is funny as the alien "Paul".And the movie is packed with stars, you will recognize many of yourfavorite comedians in here and you will catch plenty of Easter eggs andpop culture references -this was a lot like a family guy episode. Nowthe reason why I gave it a 6 instead of a 7 9on my system) was becausethe story was nothing special or original, it was a standard story asyou would expect. Pretty predictable and awkward a few times. Lastlythe jokes where fine if you where watching this with friends. But inreality the jokes where average if not sub-par. It relies heavily onironic references and random "funny" moments. Also it relies a lot oncursing. Saying the F bomb a couple of times is funny, but you willnotice they use F-bomb jokes HEAVILY through out - which reallydiminishes the effect. This was not a labor of love and you can feelthe commercialism in it. It was a commercial for profit film. If youwant to watch it - give it a go with friends and snacks and you willenjoy it.However, If you really want an amazing Movie with a good story, lovablecharacter, hilarious jokes and a satisfying conclusion that will leaveyou with a great feeling watch Zombieland, Shaun of the Dead,or HotFuzz. Those movies I just mentioned have much better dialog, acting andjokes. Paul is great but not awesome.

Lisa Kennedy

(2012-04-12 22:55:43)

In the end - as well as the middle and maybe even at the outset - Paul is more often a close encounter of the middling kind.

thesar-2

(2012-04-06 10:07:14)

Believe it: Pauly Shore's Funnier

Even with the worse comedy, occasionally, I'll laugh – admittedly ornot – at least once, such as the wretched Vampires Suck. Though, 2011'sPaul almost held the record of the first ZERO-laugh comedy I've everseen, it still took until about the one hour, fifteen-sixteen minutemark for me to finally laugh. (Wiig's character exclaims: "It's okay;he's alive" and runs.) And I'll even note two more "huh"s – as inchuckles, one immediately before the credits and one during thecredits.The movie's 104 minutes long and waiting 75 minutes into a COMEDY forthe only laugh, is pathetic.Marketing should take some of the blame – all the "funny" scenes werein the trailers. But even then, they looked only mildly amusing. Infact, the only reason I wanted to see this is because of the fantasticteam of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost – both of whom are responsible to thehilarious and highly superior Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Perhapsthey're just not welcome in the USA where this was shot and takesplace.Speaking of the English duo, they were horribly miscast here. EVENthough they helped write it. You know…you don't have to star in thesame vehicle you helped write.Maybe I'm being a bit harsh on the "miscasting" comment. Allow me torephrase: literally anyone could've played these roles, but if I had mypick, it would've been Michael Cera and his Superbad costar Johan Hill.At least then…I would've laughed more than a dozen times. Guaranteed.So, what was it that made an all-star/all-around cast that's usuallyhilarious become as much of a dud as the recent performance of "TheSituation" on Comedy Central's Donald Trump Roast?Was it the references too overwhelming that made this film almostunbearable? I can only imagine that the Pegg/Frost team are probablynot that familiar with the "American Sci-Fi" universe and inserted thetop 20 (and yeah, 20 difference references, maybe more) searches onGoogle. They got so tedious and an actual distraction, all I couldthink of was a feature length film set in a bar called "CHEERful" andalong with the numerous Sam/Diane look alikes, you'll have a bartendernamed Moe, prank calls from a punk kid asking for "Mr. I.P. Freely," abeagle named "Regal" and the only thing served on the menu are "blueoysters."And speaking of which…don't get me started on the constant andmean-spirited "fag" jokes that certainly weren't funny at first and gotprogressively repugnant as the movie wore on. We get it: two bestfriends go on holiday together overseas and they simply must be gay, or"fags" as the secondary characters call them. They made it an obviousstatement that they hate God, but they further pushed the line withtheir homophobia as well. You'd think someone that was against Godwould also be pro-gay. (Yes, I know they backtracked with statingPaul's planet is completely bisexual, but after that's revealed, theycoast back into the gay bashing gag…for the tenth time.)Another horse they beat to death was the swearing. Ha ha ha ha, Ifollow the juvenile humor, and at times, in other movies that can becomical, but here, it was frankly not amusing. Kristen Wiig'scharacter, Ruth, is released from the Holy Book and has a "rip roaring"time by saying "nasty" words at inappropriate times. Honestly, shelooked almost embarrassed to say her cuss-laced lines after thefiftieth time.Two nerd BFFs, Graeme (Pegg) and Clive (Frost) make it their dream tovisit both a Sci-Fi convention and then scope out the most clichéd"alien" spots when all of a sudden, they find a real life alien! NamedPaul! Are you laughing yet? Perhaps not, so they throw those darnedSci-Fi references that would be more appropriate in a 22-minute episodeof Family Guy.At any rate, they need to transport Paul, the "anti-probing" crudecliché, from one spot to his departure spot, à la (many, but let's justsay) E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial's finale. And putting inreference/side gag Steven Spielberg in this not only wasn't funny, butnow I don't feel bad about bashing his wife in my recent Indiana Jonesand the Temple of Doom review.All the while, they're chased by more bumbling doofuses and let theslapstick begin!Not really. But it does make this seem like a perfect family movie andvirtually harmless. Well, aside from the five hundred curse words,sexual references, nude shots – okay, just from CGI-Paul and deathscenes. It's almost like they did have a "sweet-hearted" film, butthought: That doesn't sell!I will confess in the movie's defense: it wasn't the worst I've seen. Ididn't get as annoyed or p/ssed as I usually get when a movie getsprogressively worse or even less funny – if that was possible in thisexample. (Correction: I did get thoroughly frustrated with both thecompletely thoughtless gay-gags and one of the biggest references: thecharacter "The Big Guy" who's only heard on a radio until the finaleand we're supposed to be "surprised" when we find out who that was. Ifyou don't know that is from minute one, then this is, in fact, yourfirst "Sci-Fi" film. And that's sad.)For the most part I just stared blankly at the screen. Not necessarilywith disgust – as I do often with humorless comedies – but with boredomand a dash of sadness. Pegg/Frost probably just had an off day…if ittook even that long to write this.

Scott A. Mantz

(2012-04-06 07:14:14)

What really pushes Paul into the stratosphere is the level of charm and chemistry between its cast members.

valleyjohn

(2012-04-05 07:06:41)

Out of ideas.

Dear oh Dear. What was Simon Pegg & Nick Frost thinking making a turkeylike this? We know the comedy duo are capable of making some very funnymovies and TV shows but i have to wonder what they were both on whenthey wrote this rubbish.Firstly it doesn't help having an alien voiced by Seth Rogan and thengiving him the only amusing lines. ( and believe me they are not thatamusing). This has all the hallmarks of a kids movie but with theswearing hence it really struggles and becomes difficult to watch butthe worst thing about this film is that its just so boring and thatabout the worst thing a film can be accused of.Pegg and Frost need to think long and hard with their next project andthey definitely must base it in the UK because playing the nerdy Britin the US had been done to death so many times before.Paul is not so much out of this world but more like out of ideas,

Stella Papamichael

(2012-04-04 13:45:44)

Although Superbad's Greg Mottola doesn't have the firm directorial grip of the pair's usual collaborator, Edgar Wright, for the most part this is a far-out, funny ride.

watson-james-902-282983

(2012-03-31 18:31:02)

Funny as funny can be

Perhaps the most underrated film this year. If you add all of thein-jokes and comic book trivia from The Big Bang Theory, you have oneheck of a movie. But if you then throw in Britain's favourite comedyduo, Pegg and Frost, and then two American favourites, Rogen andBateman, you have an epic. But then, to throw in a cameo by SigourneyWeaver, and a few very funny wisecracks from an alien, you have amasterpiece. I would say that, even though some of the jokes were alittle obscure, you kinda got the feeling it was meant to be that way.The only criticism I have is its treatment of religion. It was clearlywritten as a criticism of religion, but its attacks were heavy handed,below the belt and little more having a character state vastlygeneralised beliefs on the subject. In the end, one felt that the wholereligious element did little more than to make the movie makers lookslightlypathetic. Nevertheless, a great film, incredibly funny, all theright people, and all the right jokes.

Sean Rom

(2012-03-31 02:05:30)

The film can be summed up by its affectionate parody E.T in the finale: amiable and inoffensive but completely inferior to the classic films it references.

fugfar

(2012-03-28 17:15:46)

not for me

hes the slacker alien whos just here to make us all feel great! hes sofunny. the way he acts, with his cargo shorts, backpack, and laid-backattitude, i have a friend just like him! gosh these are some crazyhijinks you're involved in, how did you get yourself in so much hotwater, you crazy little alien?nothing good to see here, hope was the only thing that kept me goingthrough this abomination, hope that hed get tied to the bumper andforgot about for a few miles, a'la chevy chase. i have to think thatthere is some other hand at work here, seeing as pegg and frosts last 2movies sit here on my shelf. it comes off as not knowing whether to bea kids movie, a stoner movie, or a comic fan's movie, even if i was astoner kid, who liked comics, and funny movies, i would still think itsucked, and probably kick you in the nuts for making it.

ajs-10

(2012-03-28 01:09:58)

Not the funniest thing I've ever seen, but not all that bad either…

Very well made with some nice CGI work and effects; I also very muchliked the choice of music, but if you open with 'Another Girl, AnotherPlanet' by The Only Ones you've got me right there! All theperformances were pretty good, although I particularly liked KristenWiig as Ruth Buggs, she really stood out for me performance-wise. Ofthe others, well, Simon Pegg as Graeme Willy and Nick Frost as CliveGollings pretty much did what they usually do and Seth Rogen as thevoice of Paul was just about what I expected. I'll give honourablementions to; Jason Bateman as Agent Zoil, Bill Hader as Haggard, Joe LoTruglio as O'Reilly and, not forgetting, Sigourney Weaver as The BigGuy.A film littered with nods and homage's to many classic sci-fi movies;you could spend hours going through it and noting them all. This couldbe distracting, but, as it's a comedy, I'll let it slide (this time). Ithought the theological question was handled quite well, although I cansee it not going down too well in certain quarters. It's a wellscripted piece although I did get the feeling it had been very much'tweaked' towards the American market; although a couple of 'Brit'in-jokes did squeak through. I must say I did enjoy it though and, atthe end of the day, it did what it said on the tin. I was afraid itwould go off in a certain direction at one point, but in the end theymanaged to steer it home! Would I watch it again?... Yes!...Recommended.My score: 7.0/10.IMDb Score: 7.1/10 (based on 75,553 votes at the time of going topress).Rotten Tomatoes 'Tomatometer' Score: 71/100 (based on 189 reviewscounted at the time of going to press).Rotten Tomatoes 'Audience' Score: 70/100 (based on 80,163 user ratingscounted at the time of going to press).You can find an expanded version of this review on my blog: Thoughts ofa SteelMonster.

Simon Miraudo

(2012-03-28 07:38:21)

Paul is a fun tribute to sci-fi films (and film geekery in general), but did it have to be so ... dumb?

David Frese

(2012-03-27 19:43:27)

Most of it crash-lands.

(2012-03-24 10:39:44)

One hell of an eye open, watch it and form your own thoughts!

For sure, close minded Christians will hate this movie and I am surprise they did not try to boycott it! This movie will leave you with a feeling of, "I already thought that and now I can believe it!"This is a funny, kind, gritty, in your face, laugh-out-loud, soulful, educational and for sure a sleeper hit! We will own this one outright!Best movie in a long time. I just adore Paul the alien! He is a brat and well not really nice! I was want to hug him and eat him up!I am just wondering why there was not more merchandise.. hmm

michael5959

(2012-03-24 04:03:03)

This film was great!, exiting yet slightly predictable.

"Paul" - 2011This film was great!, exiting yet slightly predictable. "Paul" begins with a nice, comforting family setting with a storylinewhich has been told for years but hasn't been filmed. Despite the storyseeming generic and overdone, it was executed tastefully. The comedy isfresh and flows brilliantly, however you might not find that this istrue if you aren't big fans of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. The additionof Seth Rogen was a sounds investment because his attitude as an actorand character adds to the films charm. As the film progresses the comedy stays the same and the charactersdon't build up as much as you would have thought. This doesn't howeverreduce its value for a comedy film because the characters standreasonably strong at the start and the comedy fits the personalities ofthe characters well. It stays on its toes and has a nice ironic feel tosome of the conspiracies that Area 51 could hold.I think this film stood ground well and had a surprisingly tastefulstoryline. The inspirational material behind this film has been toldfor many years yet it took a while for any producer to utilise thiswell known concept. It could have had a bit less of a "moral-ending" I feel because thistype of film never really holds life advice well. Other than that, thefilm "Paul" is a great watch with friends and has charming yet obscenehumour.8/10