By Scott Bowles, USA TODAY
Paul comes here in peace, though that could be because he's also a little stoned.
By Double Negative, Universal Studios
On the road: Simon Pegg, left, Kristen Wiig, Nick Frost and space alien "Paul" (a CGI character voiced by Seth Rogen) set out in search of adventure, either on Earth or on other planets.
By Double Negative, Universal Studios
On the road: Simon Pegg, left, Kristen Wiig, Nick Frost and space alien "Paul" (a CGI character voiced by Seth Rogen) set out in search of adventure, either on Earth or on other planets.
And foul-mouthed. And unkempt. There will be no confusing Paul with E.T. ? or his film, for that matter ? but the slacker alien has just enough snark and humor to lift the movie beyond its miscast Earthling stars.
Rude, sexist and fond of marijuana, the title character of this sweet send-up of the Everygeek is a Shrek for the alien set. Paul knows the little-green-men clich�s and is happy to lance them with an epithet and a belch.
Set in San Diego's annual nerd-fest Comic-Con, Paul follows comic devotees Graeme (Simon Pegg) and Clive (Nick Frost) as they arrive from England to catch the convention before a road trip to America's infamous UFO sites.
Within minutes of the film's opening, the pair bump into Paul, who has left Area 51 after discovering he's been a prisoner, not a guest, for the past 60 years.
There's not much back story offered: We have no clue why Paul came to Earth, from which planet he came or why he looks like an extra from the set of Pineapple Express. Suffice to say he clearly picked up behavior points by watching The Big Lebowski.
This should be fish in a barrel for Pegg and Frost, who cleaved the cop and zombie genres with Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead.
* * 1/2 out of four
Stars: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Bill Hader
Director: Greg Mottola
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Rating: R for language, including sexual references and some drug use
Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Opens Friday nationwide
Here, though, they take oddly sincere roles. Pegg ? lonely, limp-haired and looking dangerously like David Spade? is happy to let Paul lead them on a cross-country trek to see Paul's outer-space pals. Frost has a stranger role as a comic geek who should be over the moon about his passenger but is sullen and jealous.
Some performances feel tossed in, particularly the one by the gifted Bill Hader, who's reduced to a menacing man in black. And Jason Bateman can do corporate sleaze (Up in the Air), but action gunman isn't his forte.
Where Paul takes off is in its embrace and knowledge of sci-fi icons. There are so many references to science-fiction classics, including Star Wars, Star Trek and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, that a drinking game borne of the DVD seems a lock.
And the space invader himself deserves some credit. Paul is slowed down by some silly action and special effects, but the creature's movements, facial expressions and interactions with human co-stars are seamless. Rogen's vocal performance eclipses many of his latest live-action roles and, if anything, the alien could use a little more screen time.
It's not out of this world, but Paul is just spacey enough to convince us the truth is out there. And buzzed.
Samaire Armstrong Christina Applegate Karen Carreno Jennifer Gareis Nadine Velazquez
