Silver Screen Review: Paul

You may recall the 2007 comedy known as “Superbad”. It was a critically acclaimed comedy that I did not care for, but that is not important right now.  The point that I am making is what happens when you take the director of “Superbad” and put it together with the minds of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, you get the movie “Paul”. How does this combination translate on screen and does the comedy work?   Hop aboard this review of the film “Paul”.

Story: By comedy standards,” Paul” has an enjoyable and a surprising compelling story.  This movie is a comedy above anything else, but the story knew how to be serious at times and manage not to have the drama seem out of place. This movie is full of all kinds of movie elements such as being an adventure movie as was as being a sci-fi film. The story never seems to stray and kept my attention all the way through.

Characters/Acting:  This was a really good cast of characters. The movie feature one of my favorite comedy duos, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. The two seem to do what they do best as play their usual awkward and witty selves and I think it really worked for the movie. Seth Rogen voices the alien Paul and his performance to as a surprise to me as his character was more complex than I would have imagined. The film also has numerous talents such as Kristen Wigg, Jason Bateman and Bill Hader and that is just to name a few.  Bottom line, the characters were terrific with development that had you understanding the characters till the very end.

 Directing:  Greg Mottola not only adds another comedy to his resume, but I would say that this could be one of his best films.  Greg Mottola brought several elements to this film and his ability to work so well with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost made for a really fun movie.

Everything Else:  The comedy of “Paul” was really well done. The humor that I am normally not a fan turned out to be rather amusing. I think what made the crude humor funny was how subtle it was. Not only is the comedy subtle and clever, but the references will make movie goers chuckle.  When it comes down to it, I think really what worked for “Paul” was the writing of the film. So I have to tip my hat to Simon Pegg and Nick Frost for creating such great humor in the script.

Overall:  “Paul” is a movie for those looking for a fun time. It is a comedy that can be just as crude as it can be clever. The combination of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Greg Mottola really paid off in the end and made a great time at the movies. “Paul” showed me that there may be some hope in the comedy genre. “Paul” receives 4 out of 5 hats.