Paul is not all about the protagonist making alien probe jokes while he tries to escape government agents and return to his spaceship. He also breaks the worldview of fundamentalist Christians, a character portrayed by Kristen Wiig, while making cutting remarks against faith and religion through the film. Catholic News Service condemned the movie’s “militant atheism” and its “explicit rejection of Christian faith and morals, endorsement of homosexual acts, non-marital sexual activity…” while urging “believers of all stripes to steer clear” of Paul.
Even though the film’s atheist humour puts a panicky jolt of social satire in the mix, those who know what really happened to Paul in the Bible, are bound to enjoy the additional irony in the film.
The plot of the film revolves around the trip that two sci-fi geeks make to America’s UFO heartland. While scouting the area, they accidentally befriend an alien who takes them on a crazy road trip only to change their lives forever. Seth Rogen voices the alien named Paul, who has been living in a top-secret military base for 60 years. When he finds out that he has been captured, Paul tries to escape the premises by hopping onto a rented RV, which is where he meets earthlings Clive Gollings (Nick Frost) and Graeme Willy (Simon Pegg).
After being chased by federal agents and a fanatical man, whose daughter the duo accidentally kidnaps during their journey, Clive and Graeme strategize to help Paul return to his spaceship. Watch the movie if you want to see how two social outcasts turn into intergalactic heroes through their journey with Paul.