Ultimately, Paul is one of those films that should be much funnier and far more clever than it actually is. It features the hilarious pairing of Brits Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (this dynamic duo--who appeared in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz--also wrote the screenplay) as a couple of film geeks from across the pond who come to the states to attend Comic-Con in San Diego. Following the convention, the pair engage on a road trip across the Nevada desert where they come face to face with a goofy alien (voiced by Seth Rogen) who happens to be on the run from a handful of government officials (including Jason Bateman and Bill Hader). Paul is clearly Pegg and Frost's love letter to all things geek and while there are plenty of outstanding sci fi film references here (E.T., Close Encounters, Men in Black, etc.), this movie really isn't all that funny. It certainly has funny folks in it. Pegg, Frost, Bateman, Hader, Rogen, Jane Lynch, David Koechner, Kristen Wiig, etc. But no one is really given anything that funny to say or do. There were a few scenes throughout the picture that I thought would be punctuated with a hilarious payoff, but those payoffs never really materialized.

Rogen has most of the comical lines, but they're of the raunchy variety, and more about being shocking than all out funny. Pegg and Frost have that natural friendship and charm-thing going in spades, but their banter isn't as witty as you might expect. The biggeset missed opportunity comes at the hands of what could have been a cute little courtship between Pegg and Wiig's God fearing cyclops. A lack of developement keeps the union from reaching its true potential. Paul is slightly better than the similarly structured Fanboys but I'd be lying if I said I didn't expect a little bit more. Especially given the collective talent involved.

Grade: C+