Doghousesmall
Doghouse
19092
Paul
(2011)
Ever felt a little alien? (UK poster)
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Stars: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader
Director: Greg Mottola
Writer: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost
Language: English
Studio: Universal Pictures UK
Duration: 104

Everything you know about aliens from pop culture is true. At least that's the message from Paul, a swift, sharp, and very funny movie from the creative minds that also brought us Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Superbad, and Adventureland. The British stars of the first two, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, also wrote the snappy screenplay, and director Greg Mottola shows that he can make human and sentimental both the slapstick and the subtle, self-referential humour the same way he did in Superbad and Adventureland. The premise Pegg and Frost have laid out for themselves as likable, sci-fi fanatic supernerds is a dream vacation starting at Comic Con, then continuing through the American Southwest in an RV visiting historic UFO sites like Area 51, the Black Mailbox, and Roswell, and finishing up at Devil's Tower in Wyoming, the iconic centerpiece from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. After their inauspicious start, they happen upon an escaped alien who is 4 feet tall, and has the big head, classic diamond eyes, and features we've come to recognize as both the benevolent and evil kinds of space aliens from movies and TV. He is also the titular character, and as voiced by Seth Rogen, this CGI creature spouts a never-ending string of wisecracks, insider secrets, and frat-boy humour that comes loud and clear as classic Rogen in tone and attitude. As an aside and terrific example of the very clever throwaway punch lines that run throughout, there's a brief flashback to 1980 showing Paul on a conference call with Steven Spielberg (really), giving him advice about script development issues for E.T.
Paul crash-landed in the late 1940s and has been held prisoner by the government's men in black. They've not only been pumping him for knowledge, they've also leaked the fabric and features of his being to people who want to believe, especially the ones in Hollywood. Now Paul wants to go home, and he's found the perfect getaway with the want-to-believe team of Graeme (Pegg) and Clive (Frost), who take him to his rendezvous (at Devil's Tower, of course). The road movie that unfolds is consistently hilarious, moving nimbly through one-off gags and inside jokes, but also creating larger relationships and drawn-out humour that relies on us believing that the little CGI Paul is real. And mostly we do, again thanks to Rogen's delivery and distinctive vocalizing. Paul constantly quips, makes fun, gets drunk, smokes dope, and spouts a steady stream of patter about how aliens have been bowdlerized and reimagined in entertainment and the minds of people like Graeme and Clive. There's a jam-packed supporting cast that complements and complicates the story (in a good way), including Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio as the bumbling men in black, and Jason Bateman as the scary man in black. Also passing through are some fun familiar faces like Jane Lynch, David Koechner, Jeffrey Tambor, John Carroll Lynch, and an iconic sci-fi actress who shall remain unnamed. Especially good is Kristen Wiig as a fundamentalist Christian whose mind is literally blown by Paul. Amid the broad humour and nonstop punch lines there's also a sweetness that stays with each finely drawn character (including Paul) and gives Paul an amiable sentimentality that runs throughout. Everyone clearly had fun making this movie, and that's exactly how it is to watch. --Ted Fry


Simon PeggGraeme Willy
Nick FrostClive Gollings
Seth RogenPaul
Jason BatemanAgent Zoil
Kristen WiigRuth Buggs
Jeremy OwenSword Vendor
Bill HaderHaggard
Sigourney WeaverThe Big Guy
Jeffrey TamborAdam Shadowchild
Jane LynchPat Stevens
Blythe DannerTara Walton
Chris Rock
Mark Addy
Bobby LeeValet
Jennifer Coolidge
David KoechnerGus
Frankie Faison
Jesse PlemonsJake
Greg Germann
John Carroll LynchMoses Buggs
Regina King
Joe Lo TruglioO'Reilly
Mia StallardYoung Tara
Eugene Levy
Chazz Palminteri
David HouseSecurity Guard
David ArnoldComposer
Jennifer GrangerAdam Shadowchild Fan
Nelson AscencioJorge
Mark SivertsenState Trooper
Joe BerrymanGas Station Attendant
Steven SpielbergHimself (voice)
Syd MastersBand Member #1
Gary RollerBand Member #2
Oliver O'SheaBand Member #3
Lonnie Otha-MayerBand Member #4
Will VeitchBand Member #5
Mike MillerPolice Officer (as Michael Miller)
Lori DillenRobed Woman
J. Todd AndersonComic Store Clerk
Brett Michael JonesKeith Nash
Diego DeaneFireworks Store Clerk
Dawnielle BanksSteampunk Woman (uncredited)
Dawn BarberSailor Moon (uncredited)
Corey DrakeStormtrooper
Devin FaraciComic Con Nerd
David Fernandez Jr.Comic Con (uncredited)
Brent 'Clutch' GaubatzStormtrooper
Larry GoldsteinComic-Con Chewbacca
Zack KennedyComic Con Nerd
Paula LaBaredasPrincess Leia
Patrick LeeBackground Comic-Con (uncredited)
Patrick MackieHotel Guest (uncredited)
Kevin G. O'ConnorSandtrooper TD-0013
Michael Neal PowellBartender (uncredited)
Phoebe PricePrincess Lea
Erick RamirezComic Con Galactic Marine (uncredited)
Chris RymerComic Con Clone Trooper (uncredited)
Joy SudduthAngry Stage Manager (uncredited)
Kyle SundgrenComic Con Attendee (uncredited)
Jefferson SageProduction Designer
Allison JonesCasting Director
Richard FojoArt Director
Tania Blundenpost-production supervisor
Nancy SteinerCustome Designer
Karen Ruth GetchellProduction Supervisor
Robert GrafUnit Production Manager
Ann Lynchadditional post-production supervisor
Michelle Wrightexecutive in charge of production
Ryan Craigkey second assistant director
Valerie Johnsonsecond second assistant director
Denise Anderson Pooreadditional second assistant director
Lynn Struiksmaadditional second second assistant director: San Diego
Jonathan Watsonfirst assistant director
Lawrence SherCinematographer
Chris DickensEditor
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Sci Fi
Media: DVD
Sound: AC-3
IMDb: 1092026