5 Plot Point Breakdown: Paul (2011)

By Pam Glazier · September 28, 2011

Screenplay Genre: Adventure / Comedy / Sci-Fi

Movie Time: 104 minutes

1. INCITING INCIDENT

UFO enthusiasts Graeme Willy (Simon Pegg) and Clive Gollings (Nick Frost) are on a Winnebago road trip across the U.S., visiting famous UFO sites. They pull over to help after witnessing a car accident, and it turns out that the driver Paul (Seth Rogen) is an alien. He begs for help, and Graeme takes the initiative and agrees since Clive has fainted from shock. (00:17:30)

2. LOCK IN (End of Act One)

Mysterious, men-in-black-ish Agent Zoil (Jason Bateman) is tracking the Winnebago. He reports to base that he’s closing in and gets orders to kill Graeme and Clive and bring in Paul, dead or alive. (00:33:53)

3. FIRST CULMINATION (Midpoint)

Paul asks Clive what his beef is because Clive’s been antagonistic for the entire trip. Clive opens up—he’s jealous of Paul and Graeme’s relationship, and he’s embarrassed about fainting and pissing his pants when he first saw Paul. Paul lets him know that he’s special too and that they’re all in this together. Clive accepts this and now there is no inner turmoil within the group. The are a solid team – an inter-universe band of brothers. (00:48:20)

4. MAIN CULMINATION (End of Act Two)

Paul and the gang make it to the rendezvous point where his fellow aliens are going to pick him up—Devil’s Tower: the mountain from Close Encounters of the Third Kind—but the government gets there first. It looks like they’re all going to die. (01:28:10)

5. THIRD ACT TWIST

Graeme dies taking a bullet for Paul and Paul risks his life to try and bring Graeme back through his power of cellular revivification (healing). They both survive, Graeme gets the girl, and Paul gets his spaceship ride home. (01:32:18)

For all the latest from The Script Lab, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

And become a member of TSL 360 to enjoy the LARGEST screenwriting education content library, featuring masterclasses, deep-dive interviews, and lectures from Academy Award-winning screenwriters, TV show-runners, producers, literary managers, agents, studio executives, and leading educators – all in one place.