Cinema 2011 #18: Paul

Spaced: The Final Frontier. That’s sort of the impression you leave with after spending 104 minutes in the presence of Paul, a foul-mouthed extraterrestrial trying to make his way home. In this, the latest vehicle from BFFs turned British Film Favourites Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the titular alien may steal the show, but the heart of the film lies in Pegg and Frost’s exploration of friendship. Certainly a road they’ve tread before, be it slipping away from zombies or packing heat at a village fete. But this time round it’s a road movie. A sci-fi road movie. And the boys have also penned the script themselves, and are without Edgar Wright, their erstwhile directing sidekick, busy carving a niche for himself as Hollywood’s go-to geek.