⚡ Byte-Sized Overview:
Two British nerds road-tripping through America meet a sarcastic alien escapee named Paul. Together, they outrun secret agents, dodge rednecks, and accidentally spark religious crises — all while delivering more sci-fi references than a Comic-Con karaoke night.
🎬 Paul
Release Year: 2011
Director: Greg Mottola
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen (voice), Kristen Wiig, Jason Bateman, Bill Hader, Sigourney Weaver
Subgenre Tags: Alien Sci-Fi, Comedy Sci-Fi, Road Trip Sci-Fi, Buddy Sci-Fi, Pop Culture Sci-Fi
Watch it now on Prime Video | Buy it in 4K Ultra HD | Buy it on Blu-Ray | Buy it on DVD
👽 Why Paul is a Sci-Fi Icon (with weed jokes)
Paul is a loving parody and tribute to classic alien movies, mashed together with Pegg and Frost’s signature bromantic charm. It pokes fun at UFO conspiracies, overzealous government agents, and overly religious RV park owners — all while wrapping it in a genuinely sweet story about friendship, acceptance, and that time an alien mooned a biker gang.
Also: Sigourney Weaver shows up and punches someone. Instant bonus points.
🔍 Deep Dive Highlights
- Paul: A wisecracking alien with healing powers, a huge head, and a taste for pop culture, cigarettes, and sarcasm.
- Graeme & Clive: Two British comic book geeks living their dream — until it turns into a chaotic alien rescue mission.
- Ruth: A devout Christian who joins the journey, has a full-on belief breakdown, then swears like a malfunctioning robot.
- The Government: Always chasing. Always confused. Occasionally explodey.
- The Vibe: Think E.T. if he grew up on Family Guy and Cheech & Chong.
📼 Spoiler Mode: Story Sync for Pub Chat
Spoilers incoming — and yes, the alien does try to hide in a hat.
Graeme and Clive, two comic book nerds from the UK, are touring America’s most iconic UFO sites — Roswell, Area 51, etc. Their RV trip takes a sharp turn when they literally run into Paul, a grey alien who’s on the run from the government.
Paul’s been a “guest” of the U.S. government for decades, sharing alien intel and helping them write sci-fi blockbusters (turns out E.T. was semi-autobiographical). But now he’s no longer useful, so they’ve decided to dissect him. Rude.
The trio (plus Ruth, an ultra-religious RV park manager they accidentally kidnap/convert to science) race to get Paul to a rendezvous point where he’ll be picked up by his people.
Along the way, they’re chased by:
- Agents Zoil (Jason Bateman) and his hilariously incompetent underlings, Haggard and O’Reilly
- Ruth’s gun-toting father, who’s less than thrilled about her swearing and abandonment of Genesis
- And eventually, the Big Boss, played by Sigourney Weaver, in a meta bit of perfect casting
Paul reveals his ability to heal and even bring people back from the brink of death. After a chaotic shootout and some close calls, the team reaches Devil’s Tower (hello, Close Encounters fans), where Paul says his goodbyes.
Before leaving, he heals Ruth’s father, forgives the chaos, and blasts off in the most Spielbergian way possible — with swearing, tears, and fireworks.
Two years later, Graeme and Clive are speaking at a comic convention… and Ruth’s right there with them. Probably still swearing.
🧠 Paul Core Question
What if your best friend was a space fugitive with attitude, healing powers, and a deep love of sci-fi tropes?
🎲 Watch If You Like:
- Meta sci-fi with heart
- Alien movies that don’t take themselves seriously
- Simon Pegg & Nick Frost doing what they do best
- Secret references, dirty jokes, and alien finger magic
🛰️ Want to Go Deeper?
- Watch the trailer on YouTube (expect aliens, RVs, and profanity wrapped in friendship)
- Explore the cast and trivia on IMDb (features a dozen sci-fi nods, a few surprise cameos, and more genre love than a box set marathon)
Watch it now on Prime Video | Buy it in 4K Ultra HD | Buy it on Blu-Ray | Buy it on DVD
