One of the hosts of the Force Cast (at forcecast.net) recently argued that sci-fi fans should rebel against the term “nerd” because nerds are mainstream now and don’t deserve to be diminished with such a label. Many listeners have disagreed with him, though, noting that this once-derogatory term is now a descriptor rather than a put-down.
The movie “Paul” is a prime example of the mainstreaming of nerd-dom. It’s written by two admitted sci-fi nerds, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, who also play the two nerds in the movie — artist Graeme (Pegg) and novice novelist Clive (Frost) — who go to Comic-Con in San Diego and then tour the alien hotspots of the American Southwest. Although American and British culture overlap quite a bit nowadays, one subtle difference I’ve noticed is that Brits seem less cynical than us. Pegg and Frost already lampooned/celebrated zombie flicks with “Shaun of the Dead” and cop shoot-’em-ups with “Hot Fuzz,” and now they’re doing the same for close-encounter movies; their movies are as thematically broad as any summer blockbuster, yet they seem personal rather than corporate-approved.
Furthermore, although there’s swearing and raunchiness and even a bit of violence in their movies (and “Paul” is no exception), there never seems to be meanness. Pegg and Frost are movie nerds, but — judging by the characters they play — they aren’t pathetic nerds or cool nerds (we’ve all known both types); they are just people who do what they love: Making a fun alien movie as filmmakers, trekking to Comic-Con and alien landmarks as characters.
Because Pegg and Frost are comfortable with themselves, they are also comfortable with their audience and its intelligence level. “Paul” is packed with references to mainstream sci-fi movies, but never in an obvious “Hey, look at us! We referenced a movie you’ve seen” way.
“Paul,” like “E.T.” (one of those referenced movies, natch), works in part because Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen) is totally one of the gang. He’s computer-generated, but not in a way that takes you out of the movie; he fits right in with these two Brits and the religious girl (Kristen Wiig) who they pick up in their RV while running from the authorities.
Wiig gets some of the best laughs in a movie that tends to put a smile on your face (for example, I loved Graeme’s vintage “Empire Strikes Back” T-shirt) rather than busting your gut. After being brain-zapped with all of Paul’s experiences, she recognizes that what she’s been taught isn’t entirely accurate, and she revels in the freedom to swear — but it takes her a while to get the hang of it; she starts with “poop” and the technical terms for reproductive anatomy.
I feel like I’ve seen the “character learning how to swear” joke before; indeed, “Paul” as a whole has a comfortable familiarity to it. Old favorites like Jason Bateman as the pursuing FBI agent, Sigourney Weaver as his wicked boss, and Bill Hader as a novice cop add to the comfy vibe.
If “Hot Fuzz” and “Shaun of the Dead” had hints of parody, that’s all gone in “Paul.” The movie reminds you of why you love aliens and spaceships and all that wide-eyed stuff, and not once does it entertain the notion that there’s anything wrong or even childish about that. So why fight against the term “nerd” if guys like Pegg and Frost don’t? There’s nothing to rail against anymore: As “Paul” proves, we’re all nerds at this point, and that’s something we can all have fun with.
Comments
How many buckets would you give this one, John? Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are comedic geniuses, no doubt. They get “it.” They’re the best friends every guy wishes he had. And it’s not just because, like Ricky Gervais, they’re English. I remember wanting to see “Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy,” a sci-fi genre would-be classic starring Englishman Martin Freeman, who was in “Hot Fuzz” and Shaun of the Dead”. He was terrible (go figure?). I guess I was expecting a Pegg-like performance. But honestly, like the stylings of Gervais, that kind of chemistry and charisma that connects with the camera and audience can’t be duplicated. This movie looks like a classic Pegg and Frost effort, and from what I hear, while juvenile, the jokes are laugh worthy. Like you pointed out, sometimes you just want a movie to put a smile on your face. That’s what I’ll be looking forward to when I see this one.# Posted By Seth | 4/27/11 12:49 AM
A solid three buckets of popcorn out of four. Yeah, there’s something about Brits that makes them likeable; their accent makes them seem more laid-back and not cynical, or something. I love Ricky Gervais’ humor. Part of what makes those Golden Globes hosting clips so great is that he is clearly having so much fun at what he’s doing. American comedians tend to be self-loathing and depressed. “Paul” makes me smile just thinking about the idea of Pegg and Frost and an alien traveling around the Southwest. There’s a scene where they go into a biker bar and the bluegrass band is playing the cantina song from “Star Wars.” There’s another scene where there are Slave Leias all over Comic-Con and Frost only has eyes for a chunky female Ewok. Somehow those exact same scenes would be stupid in a calculated summer blockbuster comedy but it totally works with these two British dudes. Like you say, it might not be because they are British; that might just be coincidence. But I am kind of getting into a happier type of humor now and kind of getting away from the depressive stuff (which is still funny, but it can get to be too much if that’s the only kind of humor out there). I think this is also why I lean toward “P&R” now over “The Office.” Similar type of humor, but there is more of an upbeat quality to characters like Leslie and Tom and Andy that is really appealing.# Posted By John Hansen | 4/27/11 1:26 AM
I do like the Brits. Maybe it’s just the different perspective they bring. But like I pointed out, some are hit or miss. My brother was detailing some of the funny scenes of “Paul,” and like you said, anywhere else in another blockbuster featuring James Franko or Adam Sandler, they wouldn’t work. But as he was going off, I was cracking up the whole time. It is happy, pleasing humor. I agree with you on P&R, it’s just so playful and clever, but never too convoluted. And while I love all the characters, Tom (Aziz Ansari is gold) has to be my favorite character on TV now.
“Zerts” are what I call desserts. “Trey-treys” are entrees. I call sandwiches “sannies,” “sandoozles” or “Adam Sandlers.” Air conditioners are “cool blasterz,” with a “z.” (I don’t know where that came from.) I call cakes “big ol’ cookies.” I call noodles “long-ass rice.” Fried chicken is “fry-fry chicki-chick.” Chicken parm is “chicki-chicki parm-parm.” Chicken cacciatore, “chicki-catch.” I call eggs “pre-birds” or “future birds.” Root beer is “super water.” Tortillas are “bean blankies.” And I call forks “food rakes.”
Priceless# Posted By Seth | 4/27/11 9:13 AM