Paul (2011)

• Add

Overview:

A 2011 film from the creative minds of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, Paul is a film that follows two comic book and science fiction nerds as they travel to America visiting extraterrestrial sites only to find a real ET. The movie is as much a love letter to other science fiction films as it is it's own alien tale.

Creation:

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, who were the writers for the film, spent some time on a road trip through parts of the United States and used their experiences to punch up the script.

Plot Summary:

Comic-Con

In 1947 a small girl follows her dog outside to discover a landing space ship. Flash forward to 2009 where Clive Gollings, played by Nick Forst, and Graeme Willy, played by Simon Pegg, are visiting San Diego for the annual Comic-Con. The two English friends have planned this trip not only for the nerd haven but to also travel the spots around the American southwest known for alien activity. Taking a rented RV they begin crossing off a few places on their map before ending up on the road to yet another destination. A car appears in their rearview traveling very fast and honking frantically only to overtake the duo and crash.

The black mailbox

Graeme and Clive stop the RV to check out the crash when a voice from the shadows tell them not to call any police, the voice reveals himself to be an alien. Paul, the alien, urges Graeme to return to the RV and help him get north. Clive passes out and pisses his pants. Graeme is finally convinced to help Paul out but Clive eventually wakes up not to happy about the idea of having an alien travel along with them.

While on their way north Paul reveals that he is being chased and needs the duos help in hopes of finally getting off of Earth since crashing in the 1940s, getting his name from the dog he accidentally landed on. Zoil, played by Jason Bateman, is the government agent set onto Paul's trail by "the Big Guy", a mysterious government agent herself. Zoil finds Paul's car crash site and orders two rookie agents, Haggard and O'Reilly, to set up a roadblock in the general direction Paul could be going.

Haggard and O'Reilly indeed set the road block in time but without knowing exactly what they're looking for, so when Graeme and Clive arrive the agents find nothing wrong. Paul was able to hide during the roadblock using one of his powers, the ability to turn invisible while he holds his breath. The three continue on and stop into a small RV park where they meet Ruth Buggs, played by Kristen Wiig. During the night Paul, Clive, and Graeme bond around a grill and with a few beers only to have Ruth catch Paul's shadow before being called inside by her overbearing father. Paul reveals to his companions that the government had been using Paul as an advisor on everything from secret programs to Spielberg movies but now his usefulness is gone and the government wants to dissect his brain. Paul also reveals that a friend at Area 51, where he was being held, let him contact his planet but now he needed to find the right place to get picked up.

The following morning Ruth wakes the trio up to collect their rent for the night and springs upon Graeme and Clive that she spotted their third companion. Paul, who was hiding in the toilet, reveals that he is in the RV but since Ruth can only hear him she suspects nothing. Soon thought Ruth reveals that she is a fundamental christian and the two get into a verbal argument over science a religion and in hopes of proving himself right Paul reveals himself to be an alien, causing Ruth to faint. With Ruth unconscious the three are forced to kidnap her and Paul has to sneak into her house to retrieve Clive's passport. While inside Paul isn't able to hold his breath long enough and Ruth's father sees Paul and assumes that a demon is kidnapping his daughter.

Ruth wakes up and refuses to believe Paul is an alien also assuming he is a demon. Unable to talk any sense into her Paul is forced to create a telepathic link, my touching her forehead, and share with her all of Paul's knowledge and experiences. Ruth is overwhelmed by the wealth of knowledge and angry that everything she was ever told was a lie, but after a brief stop Graeme is able to convince Ruth that her new found knowledge is a good thing and she is free to experience things she had always wanted to now. Ruth may like her new knowledge but she still doesn't trust Paul until he takes some time to use his healing ability to cure Ruth of a lifelong eye condition.

Not the pizza guy

Now on the run from Zoil, Haggard, O'Reilly, and Ruth's father Paul finally arrives at the place where he first crashed landed on Earth. There the little girl Tara, who's dog he landed on, still lives and has been ridiculed for her story of the alien landing. As the four get to know Tara, Zoil arrives at the house and calmly rings the doorbell only to have his arrival crashed by Haggard and O'Reilly who were ordered to go home but decided to kill the alien themselves. As Haggard and O'Reilly manage to let everyone get away and blow up Tara's home they return to the road managing to lose their followers.

What happened to phoning home?

Zoil still manages to follow them though, reassuring the Big Guy that he can still catch Paul, but the Big Guy isn't convinced and she sends in "the big guns". Soon Paul, Ruth, Tara, Graeme, and Clive all arrive where Paul will be picked up. As they wait the group spot some yellow lights through the trees only to have it be the Big Guy in a helicopter with a few elite soldiers there to capture/kill Paul. Just as they are about to kill Paul, Zoil runs out of the woods and is able to disable the soldiers only to be shot by the Big Guy herself. Graemae and Clive get in the Big Guy's way and, with Tara's right hook, are able to knock her out. Ruth's father however also was able to follow the group and shows up demanding they release his daughter, when they don't, he shoots a shotgun right into Graeme's chest.

Clive and Ruth hold Graeme's hands as he dies telling Clive he has a fun time on their trip. Paul says he has to try, and despite Zoil's warning that healing Graeme may kill him, he tries anyways. Paul is able to absorb Graeme's wound and bring him back to life, only to seemingly die himself only to come back a few minutes later. With Paul alive everything seems fine again only to have the Big Guy pop back up just as Paul's alien ship lands right on top of her. Zoil is revealed to have been Paul's friend, since he introduced him to his now wife, and had helped him contact his other alien friends. Everyone says goodbye to Paul and brings Tara along with him since he was responsible for her ridiculed life.

Two years later Graeme and Clive return to another trip to Comic-Con where they are now famous writing and artist duo for their novel about Paul.

Critical Reception:

Paul was released to a mixed reception receiving both high praise for the comedic writing and it's science fiction references throughout, but that same referential humor got the movie poorer reviews. In the United States the film didn't do very well financially making just below its budget of $40 million and needed the international gross to finally make some money.