Paul (2011)

Two English comic book geeks traveling across the U.S. encounter an alien outside Area 51.

Director:

Greg Mottola

Writers:

Simon Pegg, Nick Frost

Stars:

Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen

2 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mia Stallard	...	Young Tara
Simon Pegg	...	Graeme Willy
Nick Frost	...	Clive Gollings
Jeremy Owen	...	Sword Vendor
Jeffrey Tambor	...	Adam Shadowchild
David House	...	Security Guard
Jennifer Granger	...	Adam Shadowchild Fan
Nelson Ascencio	...	Jorge
Bobby Lee	...	Valet
Jane Lynch	...	Pat Stevens
David Koechner	...	Gus
Jesse Plemons	...	Jake
Seth Rogen	...	Paul (voice)
Jason Bateman	...	Agent Zoil
Sigourney Weaver	...	The Big Guy

Storyline

Two sci-fi geeks take a pilgrimage to America's UFO heartland. While there, they accidentally meet an alien who brings them on an insane road trip that alters their universe forever. For the past 60 years, an alien named Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen) has been hanging out at a top-secret military base. When he discovers he's been taken prisoner, the space-traveling smart ass decides to escape the compound and hop on the first vehicle out of town - a rented RV containing Earthlings Graeme Willy (Simon Pegg) and Clive Gollings (Nick Frost). Chased by federal agents and the fanatical father of a young woman that they accidentally kidnap, Graeme and Clive hatch a fumbling escape plan to return Paul to his mother ship. And as two nerds struggle to help, one little green man might just take his fellow outcasts from misfits to intergalactic heroes.

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Plot Keywords:

alien | nerd | geek | road trip | alien contact | 

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Taglines:

Ever felt a little alien? (UK poster)

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language including sexual references, and some drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] Official site [UK]

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English Klingon

Release Date:

18 March 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Change the Channel!

Filming Locations:

Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, Taos, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£5,517,121 (United Kingdom), 18 February 2011, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,043,310, 20 March 2011, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$37,412,945

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$101,162,106

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Relativity Media, Working Title Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min 109 min (Unrated)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color Black and White (archive footage)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the scene at Ray's Roadhouse bar, the house band is playing the Cantina song from Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977).

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Goofs

When discussing her beliefs with the guys, Ruth says that the world is 4,000 years old and can only be the product of intelligent design. Most Creationists believe that the world was created in 4004 BC, meaning that it is a little over 6,000 years old, not 4,000.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Young Tara: [referring to her dog] Go on, then, Paul. Don't be long.

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Crazy Credits

There's a scene during the end credits.

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Connections

Featured in Bad Movie Beatdown: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - Part 1 (2011)

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Soundtracks

Close Encounters of the Third Kind
(John Williams)

User Reviews

A pleasant surprise that had me laughing all the way

I lucked out and received tickets to watch an advance screening of this movie. I had 0 expectations, the trailer didn't really show much, and generally went in with an open mind.

Bottom line: no forced laughs and I laughed a plenty. The writing was absolutely brilliant. The gags are funny, and jokes come in smart and crude and those who are science fiction fans will get a huge kick out of how many hidden nods there are everywhere. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost did a fantastic job penning this script (as well as their acting)and well executed by Greg Mottola (Superbad and Adventureland). Simply put, I had a blast and it was just that much satisfying as a film overall.

Personally, I would have given it a 10, but it may be hard to recommend to a wide audience. I would expect anyone aged from 16 to 30 would enjoy it the most given the amount of vulgarity in the movie. Basically, I wouldn't recommend it to my parents because they definitely will get turned off by it.

I was initially skeptical about Seth Rogan voicing Paul: DON'T WORRY. He does a great job and you end up loving the character. All the actors in this film were great and you will enjoy their roles.