The teaser for Paul revealed the setup of this geek-wet-dream-alien-road-trip-comedy (sure to soon be a profitable Hollywood sub-genre), and now the full trailer gives a glimpse at the follow-through. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are still hilarious, but the trailer as a whole is kind of a mixed bag. Well, unless you just can't get enough alien dick jokes. Then it's a home run.
Seriously, I could probably be convinced to watch Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in some My Dinner With Andre-style movie where they just sit in a room talking for an hour and a half. But then there's the Seth Rogen-voiced alien that they find, Paul, and all of the car chases that ensue as Jason Bateman tries to hunt him down, for whatever reason. At least in the trailer, Rogen's laid-back surfer alien persona really isn't doing it for me, and doesn't seem to really gel with Pegg and Frosts sensibilities. Also, it really is kind of staggering that they manage to cram in four (by my count) jokes about alien genitals and butts into the trailer alone.
That said, director Greg Mottola has a knack for making absurd situations more emotionally involving than they have any right to be and Kristen Wiig looks like great fun. With the talent involved, I'm willing to reserve judgment for the final product.
Verdict: Sold. But with lowered expectations.
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