Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig
For the past 60 years, an alien named Paul has been hanging out at a top-secret military base. For reasons unknown, the space-traveling smart ass decides to escape the compound and hop on the first vehicle out of town -- a rented RV containing Earthlings Graeme Willy and Clive Gollings. Chased by federal agents and the fanatical father of a young woman that they accidentally kidnap, Graeme and Clive hatch a fumbling escape plan to return Paul to his mother ship. And as two nerds struggle to help, one little green man might just take his fellow outcasts from misfits to intergalactic heroes.
Landing in our planet’s theaters this weekend is Paul, a not so out-of-this-world comedy from British collaborators Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Co-starring as nerdy fanboy buddies on their own star trek, they’ve also written the script but given themselves not much to work with, instead saving the best laughs for the titular extraterrestrial and the supporting characters.
Seth Rogan would seem like an appropriate casting choice for the CGI slacker alien, but I found his voice to be a mismatch several times throughout Paul. This problem was magnified by facial animation that was slightly off enough times to be a distraction, but eventually Paul the character will win you over with his persona.
While I found Paul the movie to be pedestrian overall and most of the comedy hot-or-miss, I still enjoyed it, mainly due to an all-star comedic cast that includes Bill Hader and Jane Lynch. Kristin Wiig shines as she often does in her roles, but Jason Bateman wastes his, a disappointment because he’s done so well in the past with director Greg Mottola in episodes of Arrested Development (the Bluth is out there!) and can excel in antagonistic parts (The Ex).
It’s a welcome sight to get Pegg and Frost returning to their film roots of expertly spoofing movie genres (Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz), but Paul is most rewarding for sci-fi fanatics.
Trailer
