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Paul

Play trailer Poster for Paul R Released Mar 18, 2011 1h 44m Comedy Adventure Sci-Fi Play Trailer Watchlist
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70% Tomatometer 205 Reviews 62% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
For the past 60 years, a wisecracking alien named Paul (Seth Rogen) has resided at a top-secret military base in America's UFO heartland. When Paul decides he has had enough of Earth, he escapes from the compound and hops on the first handy vehicle -- a rented RV manned by two British sci-fi nerds named Graeme (Simon Pegg) and Clive (Nick Frost). With federal agents and the father of an accidental kidnap victim on their tail, the two hatch a crazy plan to help Paul return to his spaceship.
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Paul

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Critics Consensus

It doesn't measure up to Pegg and Frost's best work, but Paul is an amiably entertaining -- albeit uneven -- road trip comedy with an intergalactic twist.

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Critics Reviews

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Jim Schembri The Age (Australia) Passably funny, though one suspects even diehard sci-fi buffs will find the film's wall-to-wall pop referencing tiring and a tad lazy. Doesn't anybody write genuine jokes any more? Rated: 2.5/5 Apr 13, 2011 Full Review Paul Byrnes Sydney Morning Herald Paul isn't as riotous as the early Pegg and Frost movies, but it does have a certain sweetness. Everyone in it is sort of innocent, except Paul, the alien wisecracker. It's likeable, if uneven, rather than hilarious. Rated: 3/5 Apr 13, 2011 Full Review Sara Michelle Fetters MovieFreak.com It is a sunny road trip comedy that had me smiling from the start, and while there are the occasional hiccups this is still as breezily a good time at the movies as I've had this year. Rated: 3/4 Mar 25, 2011 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Mottola’s direction is serviceable, and the impressive cast of comedians and cameos make for consistent laughs. Rated: 3/4 Jul 31, 2023 Full Review James McMahon NME (New Musical Express) Paul is more defiant, a flicked Vulcan sign saying 'like it or leave it'. I liked it, loads. Rated: 4/5 May 25, 2021 Full Review Christopher Suter CineVue A solid piece of work with many hilarious moments, the ensemble cast work perfectly together and the references never miss their mark. Rated: 4/5 Mar 22, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Zak S score is 70%, I want 69 Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 06/12/25 Full Review Audience Member Great cast- a super original story that should've been vetted out MUCH more. There was so much humor left lying on the table I guess the writer just couldn't grasp for anything but the lowest hanging fruit. My least favorite Pegg movie by far. It didn't suck- but it's not something you're gonna ever watch again and is only going to make it into my collection for the originality of the story, which wasn't anywhere near being as good as it coulda been, and nothing else. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 06/07/25 Full Review Troy R Crazy I never saw this movie until now. The amount of quality actors in the movie alone is amazing. Not to mention they each bring their own little flair of comedy to the film. Story was decent, if not a little simple. Comedy was pretty good, I laughed out loud more then 10 times. The ties to comics and alien stories was also a cool addition that helped give the story some interest. No real downsides to the movies besides it not being super complex, but as a comedy I don't really expect that. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/05/25 Full Review john h One of the funniest comedies starring the cornetto trilogy stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. The story is greatly structured for entertainment and partakes indulging scenarios and characters for audience involvement. If you love comedies, then Paul (2011) will knock your shoes right off. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/01/25 Full Review Cameron H A wisecracking alien named Paul escapes from a top-secret military base and recruits two British Sci-fi nerds to help get back to his spaceship. I enjoyed this film a lot more than I thought I would. I loved the humor and movie and pop culture references. There’s a funny and clever moment where the alien, Paul, talks about how he helped Steven Spielberg write E.T Nick Frost and Simon Pegg were great as the sci-fi nerds who were in the U.S. for a tour of famous UFO hotspots. They always have great chemistry in their films. “Paul” is a fun and entertaining love letter to sci-fi fans and a great road trip comedy. If you’re a fan of movies similar to “Deadpool,” you’ll probably enjoy this film. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/28/25 Full Review Courtney K a solid comedy with a stacked cast - not great but definitely not bad; I enjoyed it. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/28/25 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Greg Mottola

Director

Simon Pegg

Graeme Willy

Nick Frost

Clive Gollings

Seth Rogen

Paul

Jason Bateman

Agent Zoil

Kristen Wiig

Ruth Buggs

Movie Clips

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Paul

Paul: Official Clip - The Big Guy Paul: Official Clip - The Big Guy 2:23 Paul: Official Clip - Escaping the Farm Paul: Official Clip - Escaping the Farm 2:38 Paul: Official Clip - Really Strong Weed Paul: Official Clip - Really Strong Weed 2:45 Paul: Official Clip - New to Cursing Paul: Official Clip - New to Cursing 0:45 Paul: Official Clip - Evolve This Paul: Official Clip - Evolve This 2:17 Paul: Official Clip - Dead Bird Paul: Official Clip - Dead Bird 1:31 Paul: Official Clip - Farting Buttholes Paul: Official Clip - Farting Buttholes 2:17 Paul: Official Clip - Spaceman Balls Paul: Official Clip - Spaceman Balls 2:44 Paul: Official Clip - Spaz Attack Paul: Official Clip - Spaz Attack 2:31 Paul: Official Clip - Awkward Makeout Paul: Official Clip - Awkward Makeout 1:19 View more videos

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Paul

(L-R) Kristen Wiig as Ruth, Paul, Nick Frost as Clive, Simon Pegg as Graema and Blythe Danner as Tara in "Paul." (L-R) Paul and Simon Pegg as Graeme in "Paul." (L-R) Nick Frost as Clive Gollings, Kristen Wiig as Ruth Buggs and Simon Pegg as Graeme Willy in "Paul." (L-R) Simon Pegg as Graeme Willy, Kristen Wiig as Ruth Buggs, Nick Frost as Clive Gollings and Paul in "Paul." Sigourney Weaver (left) as The Big Guy in "Paul." Blythe Danner as Tara Walton in "Paul." (L-R) Joe Lo Truglio as O'Reilly and Bill Hader as Haggard in "Paul." (L-R) Nick Frost as Clive Gollings and Simon Pegg as Graeme Willy in "Paul." (L-R) Nick Frost as Clive Gollings and Simon Pegg as Graeme Willy in "Paul." (L-R) Jane Lynch as Pat Stevens and Kristen Wiig as Ruth Buggs in "Paul." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis For the past 60 years, a wisecracking alien named Paul (Seth Rogen) has resided at a top-secret military base in America's UFO heartland. When Paul decides he has had enough of Earth, he escapes from the compound and hops on the first handy vehicle -- a rented RV manned by two British sci-fi nerds named Graeme (Simon Pegg) and Clive (Nick Frost). With federal agents and the father of an accidental kidnap victim on their tail, the two hatch a crazy plan to help Paul return to his spaceship.
Director
Greg Mottola
Producer
Nira Park, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner
Screenwriter
Simon Pegg, Nick Frost
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Production Co
Working Title Films
Rating
R (Sexual References|Language|Some Drug Use)
Genre
Comedy, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 18, 2011, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 5, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$37.4M
Runtime
1h 44m
Sound Mix
SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS
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