Actually left the house to see today's movie. Man, was it worth it! Greg Mottola's Paul was a(n?) hysterical look into the lives and memories of science fiction nerds everywhere. From beginning to end, a constant flow of in-jokes, ranging from the common to the completely nerdcore, had me doing something I rarely do in public: belly-laugh out loud. The script was extremely clever, keeping the story constantly moving forward. The special effects were very well done as well. The title character was one of the most believable, lifelike computer-generated characters I have seen. Being a sci-fi geek myself, I am usually not very happy or proud of the way my fellows are portrayed on screen, but writers Simon Pegg and Nick Frost know and, more importantly, respect their audience, and have crafted two of the best screen geeks ever. Yes, I said EVER. It is almost impossible for me to say anything more of the story or jokes, as I could potentially spoil it for you who have not seen this gem. The irony of this film is that Paul is more at home on his adopted world than the pair helping him on his journey are.
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost reunite yet again (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) for another marvelous, complimentary pairing. These two play off each other as well as Bud and Lou, or Stan and Ollie; they are that good together. Seth Rogen (Knocked Up, Green Hornet) lends his voice as Paul the alien. My favorite performance of his to date. The rest of the cast is mostly seen in cameos and short expositions, but their identities and performances I will leave a surprise. Trust me, they're worth the admission price as well.
The R rating is well earned, as the language is seasoned generously with profanity. Believe it or not, the story would actually suffer if it was edited out though! A few shots are taken at organized religion, so be prepared for this as well. I had an absolute blast seeing this, and will, very likely see it again before it makes its way to the home entertainment market. If you enjoyed Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, see this movie! it is worth plunking down your hard earned cash to view on the big screen and again when it's released to own. Take a friend...take three! 9.5/10.
Why are you still reading?!? Go now!!! Oh, wait...tomorrow's movie: Clive Owen in Children of Men. See you then, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!! LIKE PAUL!! NOW!!
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