Paul
2011 · Directed by Greg Mottola
Original language: English
- adventure
- comedy
- science fiction
The story
For the past 60 years, a space-traveling smart-ass named Paul has been locked up in a top-secret military base, advising world leaders about his kind. But when he worries he’s outlived his usefulness and the dissection table is drawing uncomfortably close, Paul escapes on the first RV that passes by his compound in Area 51. Fortunately, it contains the two earthlings who are most likely to rescue and harbor an alien on the run.
What it’s like
Bright, sun-bleached Southern California road-trip light: desert highways, roadside motels, dusty diners and the glow of a cramped RV, shot with bouncy handheld energy and plenty of tight two-shots in cars and crowded rooms. The palette leans warm and saturated, with the cool blue-grey of Area 51's sterile corridors standing in for the one cold place in the film. Its comic rhythm is quick and talky, with lots of overlapping banter and jokes that land on the beat, and the score is a light, retro synth-and-guitar pulse that nods to the 1980s genre films it adores. The tone is affectionate and goofy, with a sweet undercurrent about friendship and an outsider finding a place to belong; the alien's arc, from a wisecracking captive wary of human kindness to someone who trusts it, carries real warmth. Intensity is moderate: there's some cartoonish gunfire, a few bursts of brief, bloodless violence, and crude language and sex jokes throughout, but nothing sustained or truly frightening. It suits a lazy weekend afternoon, a comfort rewatch with friends, or a late-night laugh, and it is for people who like geek-culture comedy with a big heart and a love of classic sci-fi.
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