Paul

I went to the cinema for an unplanned movie. If I had read the plot summary, I probably wouldn't have gone to see it. But then I would have missed out on an excellent comedy with a memorable alien and two cool dudes. I haven't heard so many bad words in one sentence from a one-eyed Christian woman in a long time. And if Paul ever falls down, I want to be there! Quite a brilliant film. 75% (06/14/2011)

The idea that an alien being, an until recently fundamentalist Christian, and two basement nerds discover the world and are therefore not particularly different from each other has wonderful potential and invites endlessly funny confrontations worth multiple series. So why the funniest component of the film is a federal "higher power" on their asses is indeed a mystery. It's probably because the screenwriter decided that if there weren't at least 16 lighter moments in every scene, it just wouldn't be it. Unfortunately, though, he didn't think any deeper about the fact that to make it work it's good to build on the jokes and build up the jokes, not drop them like eggs onto a conveyor belt. As such, though Paul makes it through quite deftly every time it threatens to get bogged down in the ballast of sentimentality, just as often you'll find yourself while watching it dropping a "he he he" and a "why" in the same sentence. (03/12/2012)

Relaxing entertainment with the nicest alien this year. Paul, with a perfect voice-over by Seth Rogen, excellently complements the good old Simon Pegg and Nick Frost duo. The movie is packed with references to every movie possible (Spielberg’s voice cameo is faultless) from Star Wars to Spiderman and back again. An excellent atmosphere, full of effing and blinding in the unrated version, is maintained throughout the movie and, during the ending, when things end up exactly the way you expected, you sigh with emotion, these movies simply have a heart. - Paul? - Yeah. It’s a nickname, it stuck. My ship landed... on a dog. That’s OK. (06/09/2011)

The trailers gave me the impression that it would be some kind of childish and embarrassingly vulgar nonsense, but I like science fiction and I gave Paul a chance, even though I was almost sure I would bury it later. And lo and behold! It’s pretty funny. A nice wisecracking comedy that as a bonus sticks its tongue out to Christianity several times. I had fun. 75 % (06/09/2011)

Despite the clichés and a hint of sentimentality in the ending, I found myself enjoying the film. Simon Pegg's style gets me every time – flaws and all, the guy can make me laugh. Nick Frost has the same effect on me. Plus, there's something delightful about someone expressing a blind (or semi-blind) faith in a higher power. I could almost hear the sound of fanatical Christians grinding their teeth. Overall, this film managed to lift my mood and I haven't even mentioned the joy of having Kristen Wiig in the mix. / Lesson learned: Choose the location for your final speech very, very carefully. (07/09/2022)