Paul – Review
by john on Mar.20, 2011, under Reviews
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost make movies for movie lovers. Shaun of the Dead began a trilogy of sorts, honoring mocking specific genres. First with zombie horror, then Hot Fuzz slow-motion side-jumped into action films. Paul beams us up into science fiction.
None of these films ever do well at the Box Office because they are made for a specific individual. Someone who has seen a ton of movies and gets all of the inside jokes. Someone like me.
For example, if you don’t laugh when Jason Bateman says, “Boring conversation, anyway” after putting a bullet into a CB radio, then Paul is not for you. If, on the other hand, you just spat your Mountain Dew all over the keyboard after reading that, then pony yourself over to the cineplex, my friend. You have a date with Paul.
Seth Rogan voices the little green man, and does a great job at giving some personality to the CGI. Kristen Wiig is also in this. I’ve never been a big fan of her and she does nothing to win me over here, but some of you may think she’s funny. There are a couple of other cameos I’ll not mention, but they all play well into the “inside joke” point of the movie.
Paul is a tough movie to review. I laughed at all the jokes, so as the cinematic equivalent of a stand-up comedian, it gets high praise. As a film, hopefully you know if this is for you. If you’ve enjoyed their other two outings, then definitely put this on your list. It’s not as good as Shaun of the Dead, but still on par with Hot Fuzz.
Grade: B+
