Post by StevePulaski on Mar 23, 2011 19:04:13 GMT -5
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost enjoy themselves in America in Paul.
Rating: ★★★
Paul is one of those films that isn't as good as it could've been. Although no potential was really set because this film is very much unique, I expected more out of the jokes and the execution. I did enjoy both Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz upon their release because I'm a big fan of British humor. Not to mention I like Frost/Pegg's chemistry on screen.
Seth Rogen is probably the reason I was not too fond of this film. Rogen voice is very out of place as the title character. It comes off as awkward and doesn't really feel like it's in place. Not too mention, Paul's character isn't too much different from Rogen himself in movies like Observe and Report and Superbad. It's Rogen in alien form. He doesn't take on a new direction for his unique character. That's a big problem I'll discuss later on.
The film is about two British comic geeks named Graeme and Clive (Pegg and Frost) who journey into American soil, and attempt to see famous American locations like Comic Con and Area 51. Graeme and Clive get an unexpected surprise when a car accident leaves a little green alien named Paul (Rogen) behind. Paul needs the boy's help big time. But he is too being hunted by a secretive government official named Lorenzo Zoil (Bateman) along with two other bumbling detectives. All three are after one little, seemingly harmless alien.
The film's big problem is Seth Rogen. I've liked Rogen in Funny People, but thought he had too big of a role in Superbad (ironically, Bill Hader, a detective in this film, was Rogen's character's partner in Superbad). In this film, his voice as Paul is completely out of place. It doesn't flow right, and Paul acts too much like Rogen. It seems in pretty much every film Rogen does the same character. Thats fine if you do it well, like somebody like Topher Grace, but not when you only do an average, whatever job.
This is one of the first films with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as the leads where Edgar Wright, the director/writer of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz was not involved with. Pegg and Frost wrote the scripts to this film and did a fair job, but it almost fires like a parody movie shooting reference after reference at the audience with almost no flow. If Wright was the writer of the film he would've definitely gave the references a purpose rather than being almost consistent.
Aside from Rogen's only so-so job we do get a decent supporting role from Kristen Wiig playing a Bible obsessed Christian afraid of her own shadow. I've liked Kristen Wiig in pretty much everything she's done including Adventureland to Extract. She's just an all in all great female actress.
Paul's humor wasn't always the tiresome bathroom humor, but great dialog one liners and some good jokes come along. It's never boring and a comedic E.T. in a way. It succeeds in being a good comedy. Not hilarious, but well done.
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kristen Wiig, Jason Bateman, Bill Hader, and Seth Rogen. Directed by: Greg Mottola