One Seriously Close Encounter

PAUL (2011)
Starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kristen Wiig, Seth Rogen

You’ll like this movie if: You dug Shawn of the Dead and/or Hot Fuzz but wondered why there weren’t more tongue-in-cheek references to sci-fi classics in either of them.

Let me start this review off by saying that, if you can’t tell the difference between a phaser and Darth Vader, you maybe shouldn’t bother checking Paul out.  (Actually, if you can’t, you really need to ask the next person you see what the difference is, because you may be the only person alive who doesn’t know that for some reason.  Seriously, how could you not know that?  That’s ridiculous.)

After all, much of the film is done in homage to the sci-fi genre, which means you’ll see abundant references to - and this is by no means a comprehensive list - Star Wars, Star Trek, Aliens, Indiana Jones, and for some odd reason, a 1992 drama called Lorenzo’s Oil.  Those who have never heard of that last one will see one joke going right over their heads, as it did mine at first viewing.

Thankfully, those without the requisite nerd cred will find at least one thing in this film they’ll enjoy, namely the title character (voiced by Seth Rogen).  Paul is incredibly vulgar and crude, if that’s not disrespectful to vulgar and crude people.  Yet he’s generally friendly, and gradually wins over the two incredibly nerdy Brits (Pegg and Frost, frequent collaborators) traveling cross-country in an RV.

Yes, the premise might seem a little thin, but it’s so easy to have fun watching this movie that you won’t even remember or care why these guys were in an RV to begin with.  For those who aren’t afraid to watch a movie filled with completely inappropriate jokes, that is.  Paul is like a road-trip movie...with aliens.  This, of course, coming from two of the guys who put together Shaun of the Dead, described on the posters as “A Romantic Comedy.  With Zombies.”  So if anybody knows good genre crossovers, it’s Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

Oh, did I mention Kristen Wiig plays a Christian fundamentalist?  Yeah, it threw me for a loop too.  That’s another thing - if you believe in creationism, you may want to avoid this film.  It probably isn’t a massive spoiler alert to tell you that, in a movie about an alien, it doesn’t come out looking too good.

Otherwise, it’s a pretty riotous film, even if the large amount of casual profanity starts to get a little less funny towards the end and the love story feels a bit like it’s there to just be there.  If you are in on the jokes, or at least some of them, it’ll be more funny than if you’re just going for the wisecracking alien.  That would probably be enough, mind you, but start brushing up on the nerd universe anyway if you’re a little behind.  You’ll be very glad you did.

Four and a half stars out of five.