Pegg & Frost's latest outing goes grey with it's new comedy, Paul. The two pals head to Comic-Con and are living life when they stumble upon Paul, an on-the-run alien who's looking for a little assistance. He's being chased by dingus FBI agents, and basically, that's it. Save Paul, learn life-lessons along the way. Ugh.
Gotta admit, this didn't do much for me. Besides the treasure trove of movie nods this movie dishes out, there are only a couple redeeming aspects. Of course, the acting is solid, as all involved are truly talented actors. Well, I should say Simon and Nick weren't that funny, as they wrote this thing, and only fanboys and poindexters will truly find this worthwhile.
There's lot here to complain about. Be it the lackluster bad guys chase good guys, or the reliance on hearing Paul or whatsherface swear to make you laugh, or the super lame gay jokes....it was just a total wash. And how many times did they use the triple boob joke?
The film had a nice light vibe about it all, which will sucker you right along with it, but the filler - the cliché filler combined with the very disappointing writing, will have many people (probably not you though, because you GET humor) feeling pretty let-down. I know I was.
And this leads me into my college approved thesis for my Film Studies class - the Mac and Me vs. Paul throwdown!
As I mentioned earlier, more than any other aspect of the film, they succeeded big time on the movie nod front. They even said the word, 'Butthorn'. Only a select few will know where that's from. They also mentioned the film Mac and Me - a timeless classic family movie that revolves around a little alien connecting with a little handicapped boy all while trying to find his family. What I'm trying to get at is, what is the better of the two films? Paul, a big-budget scifi/action comedy with big name stars, or Mac and Me, a average budget film that is sponsored by Coca-Cola products? Let's get it on!
Paul has swear words, Mac and Me does not. But Paul relies on swears words for laughs, and that's never a good thing. Mac wins this round.
Paul the alien is voiced by Seth Rogen; a bulbous Jew who sounds like he has a toad in his throat. Mac is a non-speaking alien played by some no name actor that communicates by whistling. Mac wins again.
There is a dance sequence in Paul where they dance to crappy music around a camp-fire. In Mac and Me there is a legendary dance scene at a McDonalds with break-dancing and awesome 80s beats. Mac + 1.
Paul has a mediocre sounding mainstream soundtrack. Mac and Me has a soundtrack with amazing ballads and again, awesome 80s tunes. Mac for the win again.
Paul is a comedy that tries to splice in dramatic elements to no affect; it's neither funny (minus a couple giggles) nor emotional. Mac and Me is a family film that delivers an emotional roller-coaster of a ride as you watch Mac's family starve to death and Mac himself suffer tremendously. Mac with another easy win.
Paul like Mac had some action in it. Paul had a couple shoot-outs and some car stunts. Mac has a stunt where a dude in a wheelchair jumps off a cliff into a quarry, another stunning wheelchair stunt in high-speed traffic, huge explosions, chased by dogs....
Paul is about an obnoxious alien who has the heart of a frat boy. He smokes, swears, and make witty quips. Mac is a curious little fella who doesn't complain, drinks soda, eats skittles, and can whistle dixie in your face! Mac!
Paul has special abilities. He turns invisible, can pass knowledge to others by physical means, and can heal living beings. Mac can whistle, break-dance, stretch his limbs, roll like a ball, flatten like a pancake, put his hands into the position of a 'big vagina' ala Larry David to communicate with his family, is fire-proof, AND can heal living beings. Beat that hot shot!
Enough is enough. The bottom line here is Paul was a disappointing film that didn't bring anything new or cool or funny to the table. Mac and Me, is hard to beat in any comparison.
Gotta admit, this didn't do much for me. Besides the treasure trove of movie nods this movie dishes out, there are only a couple redeeming aspects. Of course, the acting is solid, as all involved are truly talented actors. Well, I should say Simon and Nick weren't that funny, as they wrote this thing, and only fanboys and poindexters will truly find this worthwhile.
There's lot here to complain about. Be it the lackluster bad guys chase good guys, or the reliance on hearing Paul or whatsherface swear to make you laugh, or the super lame gay jokes....it was just a total wash. And how many times did they use the triple boob joke?
The film had a nice light vibe about it all, which will sucker you right along with it, but the filler - the cliché filler combined with the very disappointing writing, will have many people (probably not you though, because you GET humor) feeling pretty let-down. I know I was.
And this leads me into my college approved thesis for my Film Studies class - the Mac and Me vs. Paul throwdown!
As I mentioned earlier, more than any other aspect of the film, they succeeded big time on the movie nod front. They even said the word, 'Butthorn'. Only a select few will know where that's from. They also mentioned the film Mac and Me - a timeless classic family movie that revolves around a little alien connecting with a little handicapped boy all while trying to find his family. What I'm trying to get at is, what is the better of the two films? Paul, a big-budget scifi/action comedy with big name stars, or Mac and Me, a average budget film that is sponsored by Coca-Cola products? Let's get it on!
Paul has swear words, Mac and Me does not. But Paul relies on swears words for laughs, and that's never a good thing. Mac wins this round.
Paul the alien is voiced by Seth Rogen; a bulbous Jew who sounds like he has a toad in his throat. Mac is a non-speaking alien played by some no name actor that communicates by whistling. Mac wins again.
There is a dance sequence in Paul where they dance to crappy music around a camp-fire. In Mac and Me there is a legendary dance scene at a McDonalds with break-dancing and awesome 80s beats. Mac + 1.
Paul has a mediocre sounding mainstream soundtrack. Mac and Me has a soundtrack with amazing ballads and again, awesome 80s tunes. Mac for the win again.
Paul is a comedy that tries to splice in dramatic elements to no affect; it's neither funny (minus a couple giggles) nor emotional. Mac and Me is a family film that delivers an emotional roller-coaster of a ride as you watch Mac's family starve to death and Mac himself suffer tremendously. Mac with another easy win.
Paul like Mac had some action in it. Paul had a couple shoot-outs and some car stunts. Mac has a stunt where a dude in a wheelchair jumps off a cliff into a quarry, another stunning wheelchair stunt in high-speed traffic, huge explosions, chased by dogs....
Paul is about an obnoxious alien who has the heart of a frat boy. He smokes, swears, and make witty quips. Mac is a curious little fella who doesn't complain, drinks soda, eats skittles, and can whistle dixie in your face! Mac!
Paul has special abilities. He turns invisible, can pass knowledge to others by physical means, and can heal living beings. Mac can whistle, break-dance, stretch his limbs, roll like a ball, flatten like a pancake, put his hands into the position of a 'big vagina' ala Larry David to communicate with his family, is fire-proof, AND can heal living beings. Beat that hot shot!
Enough is enough. The bottom line here is Paul was a disappointing film that didn't bring anything new or cool or funny to the table. Mac and Me, is hard to beat in any comparison.