Review: Paul

Note: Although this had its American premiere at SXSW, I did not see it there.

One of the key pleasures of both Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, written by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and directed by Edgar Wright, was the chemistry between stars Pegg and Frost. They had such a playful back and forth and a genuine affection for each other that they really did seem like they would be best friends, bringing both a considerable amount of humor and emotion. They were the heart of those films and so it would stand to reason that for Paul, the duo’s latest collaboration, they would bring a similar dynamic to the proceedings. Unfortunately, Paul almost immediately backgrounds their relationship in favor of a variety of more outlandish (and less interesting) characters and plot elements.

Graeme and Clive (Pegg and Frost) are two nerds from England who have finally made it to Comic-Con. After that geek pilgrimage they decide to rent an RV and travel throughout the USA, seeing all the UFO hotspots that they’ve heard so much about. Things go wrong, however, when they witness a car crash which turns out to be the work of Paul, a hedonistic little green man who has been the prisoner of the U.S. government since crash landing in 1947. With their newfound intergalactic fugitive, Graeme and Clive must deliver him back to a rendezvous with his mothership all the while fending off the FBI and dealing with a fundamentalist Christian woman who has her whole worldview thrown into turmoil by Paul’s very existence.

Right from the start Paul doesn’t really work. In their previous collaborations Pegg and Frost utilized humor that was highly referential but, with director Edgar Wright, were able to spin that into something more original, commenting on these influences more than merely mentioning them. That is not the case in Paul. At one point it is revealed that Paul likes Reese’s Pieces, much like E.T. But that joke is never expounded upon, it’s only a Family Guy style reference designed to have the audience nodding their heads in remembrance. The jokes that aren’t mere references are surprisingly scatological, with much attention being paid to the size of Paul’s genatalia and Clive’s tendency to wet himself when he’s scared. These jokes fall flat as well, always coming off as lazy and uninspired. I might have chuckled three or four times during the entire duration of the film, this coming from a guy who counts Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead amongst his all-time favorite comedies.

Special attention must be given to Kristen Wiig’s fundamentalist character. I am a huge fan of Wiig and seeing her in this was a treat, but her character is one of the film’s crippling flaws. Upon being more or less kidnapped by our lead characters, Wiig has her Christian faith shattered and immediately turns to hedonism, awkwardly cursing, smoking and drinking whenever she gets the chance. This subplot goes absolutely nowhere and only serves as a rather mean-spirited shot at Christianity. Don’t misunderstand, there’s a context in which this could have been hysterical, but the film is so didactic about it. There’s actually a scene in which Paul lectures Wiig about how moronic she is for believing these things and the film more or less agrees with him. It’s a needless digression in a film that already feels rather scattershot.

The actors all acquit themselves admirably, although it isn’t to any good effect. Wiig brings a sweet innocence to her character, even when she’s deliberately trying to be bad. Jason Bateman is actually menacing in his role as a government operative tasked with bringing Paul back to base. Joe Lo Truglio and Bill Hader are easily the best thing about the film, infusing the film with their bizarre personalities every chance they get. Blythe Danner, making a late film appearance, actually brings a touch of pathos to the film before it is quickly squandered in service of a cheap joke. Paul himself is actually a nice creation, the CGI appearing seamless as he blends into his real-world surroundings, and Seth Rogen does give a generally good-humored performance. Too bad the character himself is so one-note. Unfortunately Pegg and Frost have such underdeveloped characters that they make the least impression of anyone in the film. Just another missed opportunity for this film.

Paul was a real disappointment. What could have been another classic comedy is instead a messy hodgepodge of references, self-conscious “homages” and dick jokes. Greg Mottola (he of Superbad fame) can’t muster nearly the level of comedic energy as Edgar Wright and so the film just proceeds dully from one lame gag to the next. Give them points for effort, I suppose, but hopefully next time Pegg and Frost can come up with something more suited to their considerable talents.