Paul
Universal Pictures | Release Date: March 18, 2011 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
57
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 37 Critic Reviews
Positive:
21
Mixed:
14
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottMar 18, 2011
The film -- lame of title but big on fun. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumMar 16, 2011
Graeme and Clive, representatives of a nation of nonbelievers in UFOs and big dinner portions, come to the psychic capital of a country that wants to believe, and they're transformed. In Paul, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost do likewise, in celebration of what the Spielbergian cosmos is all about. Read full review
80
Boxoffice MagazinePete HammondMar 18, 2011
Paul is a close encounter with the comic brilliance of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost that makes going to the movies fun again. Read full review
80
NPRLinda HolmesMar 18, 2011
A good-hearted, funny movie. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicRandy CordovaMar 16, 2011
A celebration of sci-fi flicks, fanboys and good, old-fashioned bromance, Paul is a thoroughly enjoyable road trip. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterRay BennettMar 5, 2011
Affectionate, funny and action-packed sci-fi spoof. Read full review
80
EmpireChris Hewitt (1)Mar 5, 2011
Broader and more accessible than either "Shaun Of The Dead" or "Hot Fuzz," Paul is pure Pegg and Frost - clever, cheeky and very, very funny. You'll never look at E. T. in the same way again. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliMar 19, 2011
The special effects budget is on the high side but those effects serve the story rather than the other way around, and Paul is all the better for it. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerMar 19, 2011
The movie, despite what you may have gathered from the goofy trailer, is more sweet than silly. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter TraversMar 18, 2011
Rogen is a nonstop hoot, but it's the byplay between Frost and Pegg that roots the laughs in characters we care about. That's right: characters. No anal probes. Read full review
75
New York PostKyle SmithMar 18, 2011
Bateman has rarely had the opportunity to play a snarling lawman, but with his cool aviators and his bristling putdowns he's perfect, too. Read full review
75
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe WilliamsMar 18, 2011
Scabrously funny yet essentially gentle, as the main thing that it's probing is our collective ignorance. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleMar 17, 2011
This is a well-made, well-plotted and sensitive movie. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubNathan RabinMar 17, 2011
Paul is a little sloppy and a little sappy, but the filmmakers' passion for their subject matter carries it over the occasional rough spot. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinMar 21, 2011
The third and least original of the Pegg-Frost features, but it's still a lot funnier than most films of its ilk. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyMar 17, 2011
After the sharp bite and harsh light of most American-style guy-based funny films today, Paul comes as such sweet relief. Read full review
70
MovielineElvis MitchellMar 17, 2011
Fortunately, the movie is studded with performances that demonstrate the cast's skills, such as Kristen Wiig's soggy white-bread delusional Christian Ruth. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertMar 17, 2011
Here's a movie that teeters on the edge of being really pretty good and loses its way. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam LaceyMar 17, 2011
Some of the later scenes capture the spirit of majestic sweetness of "Close Encouners of the Third Kind" and "E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial" period, but the elevated moments don't last. They're relentlessly undermined by the f-bombs, groin kicks, and anal-probing jokes. Read full review
63
USA TodayScott BowlesMar 17, 2011
Where Paul takes off is in its embrace and knowledge of sci-fi icons. Read full review
63
Orlando SentinelRoger MooreMar 16, 2011
There's only so much humor you can wring from the f-bomb, even if you are a cute animated alien. Read full review
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