REVIEW: Paul

The trio of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright has proven to be the triumph of nerdity. From Spaced to Shaun of the Dead to Hot Fuzz, their work has been reference heavy, both embracing and subverting genres and the fanboy identity as a whole, all the while reaching critical acclaim and financial success. With success they began to work separately, seeking their own path and perhaps attempting to establish an identity outside of their creative partners. It became clear to me that the largest talent lay with Edgar Wright. Perhaps it is just a matter of better choices, but his film, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World overshadows the multitude of mediocre and, frankly, identity-less projects Simon Pegg has done. He seemed to be the spark while Pegg/Frost were the timber. 

Call it dork solidarity, but I will always see anything Simon Pegg is attached to. Unfortunately this had lead to me paying to see Mission Impossible III, How To Lose Friends and Alienate People, and Run Fatboy Run. The trend did not stop with Paul. Despite a lackluster trailer, the good will they established with their unique takes on geekdom with Spaced and the spoof of faux masculine outdoorsy show, with Danger! 50000 Volts!, was enough to get me in the seat

The comedy trend of equal parts hit-and-miss continues. For every spot-on reference or gag, another falls flat. The script is not entirely to blame here. Another trend is the culprit. After writing a joke heavy script, likely one that is hilarious in the room, the actors are encouraged to improvise. I am all for this, however, lately, it feels like every scene goes about thirty seconds too long. When there is a good cutting point, a moment between the three lead characters, instead of moving on, we linger for the joke. Moment shot down. Joke fails. With Paul it is not as prevalent as other recent comedies, but it is there nonetheless. Instead of letting an honest exchange happen, it's as if they said "this is a comedy, so let's add a joke." Then, when they want a poignant moment, it does not feel genuine because they haven't earned it. It's the "boy who cried knock-knock, who's there?"

Beyond that, there was one other larger problem. It is clear Pegg/Frost know who their supporters are, captured perfectly in the scenes at San Diego Comic-Con. That excitement of feeling, oddly, like you belong. And it is understood that, this being a raunchy version of E.T., there have to make some ironic and sarcastic sci-fi film references. However, after a little while, it feels like references for references sake. Just like the jokes, there is a reference quota per scene. In one instance, Simon Pegg is wearing an Empire Strikes Back shirt in this hillbilly bar where the bar band is playing a honky-tonk version of the Mos Eisley Cantina theme. How does that work? It may be a laugh for the audience, but we are living in these characters worlds, where he surely would have noticed. 

Okay, enough of the criticism...maybe. Some quick takes here:

-Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are as adorable and charming as always. Their chemistry on screen is true and it rains over the audience. Regardless of the project, I'd wager that if the two of them are together on screen, you will, at the very least, have a smile on your face.

-Joining them on their adventure is Kristen Wiig. Wiig, like her co-star Seth Rogen, is typecast and for good reason: she is the best at what she does. Unlike Rogen, however, her character type (dumb as a rock, rude but you don't hate her because she doesn't know better) has yet to grow old to me. The loss of faith her character goes through, and its after effects, are my favorite moments of the film.

-Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio are two guys who can do no wrong for me. As the two bumbling FBI agents, they are golden, Lo Truglio especially. I'm so happy he keeps popping up and I hope he goes from being "that guy" for many people to an actual name.

-Jason Batemen is adequately intimidating. He's always had an edge in his work I’ve felt. Even in Arrested Development I got this sense that there was an anger being repressed. As the "Top Secret" Agent, he gets to use it and, up until the disappointing "twist," it works very well.

-Last one. Greg Mottola, despite being listed as the director, seemed pretty absent here. Again, it is hard to say that when things didn't work it was his fault, a script problem, or bad acting. Though, I'm likely to place it at his feet. With Superbad we got high school mischievousness and anarchy. In the woefully under appreciated Adventureland we got nostalgia for both the good and bad times of youth. Here however, there isn't really a hook. In many ways, his direction seems identity-less. And to go back to the very top of this review, this is where Edgar Wright is missed.

Ultimately, it feels like a Pegg/Frost film but re-imagined as a mainstream comedy. Or perhaps we are seeing a Shaun of the Dead-like spoof of sci-films but without Edgar Wright's input. It's a film you will want to see for certain moments, rather than the whole. I challenge you to not enjoy it, because, as evident here, with these parties involved, even when something does not entirely work, it is still a good time.