Passably funny, though one suspects even diehard sci-fi buffs will find the film's wall-to-wall pop referencing tiring and a tad lazy. Doesn't anybody write genuine jokes any more?

Paul isn't as riotous as the early Pegg and Frost movies, but it does have a certain sweetness. Everyone in it is sort of innocent, except Paul, the alien wisecracker. It's likeable, if uneven, rather than hilarious.

It is a sunny road trip comedy that had me smiling from the start, and while there are the occasional hiccups this is still as breezily a good time at the movies as I've had this year.

Often lewd and crude but always more clever than expected, Paul is ultimately a sweet homage to pop culture geeks, sci-fi aficionados, and anyone who came of age on a steady diet of Spielberg blockbusters.