Paper Heart

source: Paper Heart

I watched this movie simply because of Michael Cera, and sadly I was very disappointed. The movie is so predictable, and it drags out way too long. At the end if left me wondering who ever thought that the ending was original or funny or whatever they were trying to do with it.The chemistry between the actors was natural and funny at some points, but overall I wish I would have never wasted an hour and a half of my life on this movie. Nothing about the movie made me impressed with the actors performances, and the only time I truly enjoyed the movie was when I was listening to the interviews of those in love. However I didn't think that the ending was natural or even remotely good. If I could sum up this movie in one word it would be boring, because it just keep dragging on, revisiting the same points, and I was just waiting for what I already knew was coming.

Okay so the premise of the movie is this, fiction and non-fiction content is mashed into this documentary type of film and it's about a girl Charlyne Yi doubting love. Thus she goes around interviewing people that fell deeply in love and hear there stories, the stories aren't breathtaking or anything but it does have it's moments and sometimes compelling. Michael Cera plays a role in this by playing the guy that falls for Charlyne Yi during a party. And there relationship is not that believable same with Charlyne Yi not believing in love or being loved or loving another. It Charlyne Yi seemed pretty genuine during the relationship but Michael Cera just seemed bored out of his mind even if they sometimes improvised. This film didn't do so well at the box office and I can tell why, the film hardly has any substance, the relationship between Charlyne Yi and Michael Cera is nothing remarkable same as the interviews which could have gone on and on if they wanted to interview more people. The whole point of this movie is to find out if love exist, but and was charming at times though. I guess if you find this movie to be believable you will like it and if not you probably won't, I personally found it a bit mediocre since some of it was believable in my opinion. 5/10

Charlyne Yi, star of the faux-documentary, PAPER HEART, takes a most controversial stand on The Cosmology of Love. Not only has she never been in love, but she doesn't feel that it will ever happen to her because True Love might not even exist. And, after a random series of interviews and events, she creates a very strong defense for her position. While watching the film you are constrained to consider how silly and weak are the reasons and justifications that most people seem to have for their 'True Love'. The folks that were interviewed didn't seem to have any more valid cause to believe in 'True Love' than a six year old has a factual basis for a belief in Santa Clause. They all seemed to describe a 'wondrous experience', but I couldn't help thinking that it could also be seen as a 'delightful delusion'. PAPER HEART seems to demonstrate that most of what we suppose is 'True Love' is nothing more than heartfelt wishes which change into conviction over time. As one partner related how she first became aware of her love for her husband, I thought it was most revealing to watch closely the expression on her partner's face as her tale unfolded. Throughout most of the exchange, his expression seemed disconcerting at best. PAPER HEART is a small, light, and engaging film, and Charlyne Yi has more than enough charm to pull off the premise, but after the film ended, it left me with the feeling that maybe Arranged Marriages were not such a bad idea. And, maybe she does too.

The most disturbing part of this film was that it was hard not to feel that Michael Cera was acting his romantic part in this pseudo- documentary and that Charlyn was truly falling for it. On the surface it appears as though Charlyn wants to make a documentary about how she doesn't believe in love, but sets out on a trek across country trying to find out what it means to other people. All the while, I got the impression that the director had an agenda all his own, desiring to manipulate Charlyn into falling in love during the making of this film, Michael Cera being the catalyst. It is uncomfortable to watch from this perspective. It exploits this homely characters weaknesses. I can see these men conspiring behind this innocent girl's back, proving to the viewer and to herself that she is capable of love, but that nobody had yet given her the time of day, or the opportunity for love. Regardless, Michael Cera's effortless approach serves only to exacerbate this perspective. All this desperate girl really needs is the slightest bit of attention to fall in love. Her stubborn refusal to admit she is in love with Michael as her supposed friend traipses her around Paris for 12 hours in her weakest frame of mind just adds to the humiliation of it all, especially considering the scene where Cera walks her around the grocery store for a half hour trying to decide what to make for her to eat, settling on a frozen cheese pizza. So pathetic, you begin to wonder if she even has a mind or will of her own. Her friend/actor makes vague suggestions to perhaps be more feminine, or bathe, and that perhaps men would be more interested in her. She ends up awkwardly on Michael Cera's porch, like a lost puppy dog trying to find home. She fell in love and got her heart broken before she even knew what hit her. Oh, and the psychic was right. I'd call this a nerdxploitation film.

Awful! However I have to admit that I only watched about 10 minutes of it and it's possible it got better. Maybe it's for children or they figure our society is so ignorant they might just enjoy it. There was something about the scripted-ness of the opening scene that was so tedious I was blushing with embarrassment for the film-makers. I really tried to watch but I was hurting myself by slapping my forehead and cheeks so hard while wincing with disgust. Fortunately I had other films to watch. My girlfriend didn't want to watch it either (thank you)! If you know the story of the Emperor's New Clothes it seems to apply here. Maybe there were too many enthusiastic relatives used as a test audience. I consider it damaging to other mock-umentary films. This brings the whole genre down a notch.

This movie is very much like Charlene Yi. It pretends to be something it's not, and doesn't quite succeed enough on any level. Is it a documentary? No. Is it a scripted movie? Much more so than it pretends not to be. By blending predictable, scripted and entirely acted romantic comedy elements in with what "appears" to be more standard documentary-style interviews, the viewer is left to wonder if anything they are seeing is real, and once that foundation of belief is cracked, the entire movie loses legitimacy. It's not good enough to be a documentary; it's not good enough to be a romantic comedy. Two negatives do not equal a positive. The movie borders on a saccharine-styled Blair Witch Project with better production values. Li further carries this deception into the real world, denying that she's dating Michael Cera, but then noting in other places that their relationship ended in 2009, conveniently as the movie is released. She also tried to create fiction around her age, pretending to be ten years or more older than Cera, even though she looks she could sit in a high school geometry class. This leaves us to wonder, Why? The deception adds nothing to the movie plot, it's not a cutting-edge move, it's really nothing more than an annoyance. From the acting side, Li's cutesy nerd style plays well at the start, but wears thin as the movie progresses. Cera is normally a solid actor, but interesting his scenes are the ones where it's most obvious the movie has drifted from faux documentary to a clearly acted and scripted production. It's a bit unsettling. It's not unwatchable, there's even one or two points where it's almost charming, but many viewers are going to walk away feeling a bit flat, and a bit played. You don't need to dive to find the remote to turn this movie off it it happens to show up for free on your TV. Yet you're not missing anything if you make it through your earthly existence without seeing Paper Heart. It's mildly entertaining, but just as easily could have been produced by a second-year NYU film student.

I will never waste my time watching another movie that has Nicholas Jasenovec name in the credits. Every artist needs an audience. But, Jasenovec does not respect his audience. The group of consumers for whom this media was constructed have been used by the director. And so, it goes Nicholas. You had an agenda. Bye Bye to movies. You cooked your goose with this one. I doubt anyone will ever watch Paper Hearts a 2nd time. How did you make this? Were did you get the money? I'll bet that well is dry. Whit

How do you define love? Is it something that's short lived and passionate, or a long drawn commitment? Is it that fleeting and can disappear on a whim, or something that you know for sure is permanent, consistent and wouldn't change? For those who have been through a phase of having loved and being loved before, you're likely to have developed your own philosophy - cynical, sentimental or pragmatic. For someone like Charlyne Yi who has never been in a romantic relationship before, the subject of love, and the dramatized account of her budding romance with Michael Cera, become the parallel stories in Paper Heart. For director Nick Jasenovec (who appears in front of the camera played by actor Jake M. Johnson), meshing the two threads together in a seamless fashion blurred the line between fantasy and reality. At times the documentary segments crosses over to the dramatized narrative, that it becomes hard to tell whether Charlyne, as the explorer of the theme, is genuinely being herself, or just putting on a facade to be in character. The same goes for Michael Cera, who is aware of the camera constantly poking its nose into him and his relationship with Charlyne, whether he's hamming it up for the camera, or being really perturbed by the invasion of privacy. But it is precisely the down-to-earth demeanours of both personalities, that make this film shine as we gleefully become voyeurs shadowing their every move, no thanks to the clause of having the film crew do just that, in case of missing out on any perfect moment suitable for the documentary. Those familiar with Michael Cera and the stereotyped characters he plays, will find the same kind of appeal in Charlyne, the musician-comedian being almost a female equivalent of Cera, and the pair share some great chemistry together in their young, inexperienced courtship. Who cares if they're faking it, as they do look adorable together, with their insecurities, hesitations and all! Then there are the flat-out documentary segments, which in truth was to me as entertaining as they were enlightening, exploring the theme of love in as wide a spectrum as possible, gunning for interviews all around America from children and their innocent perspectives, to full-blown theories from various scientific fields. It's Love 101 for Dummies succinctly summarized in a film, where you'll begin to realize that it's pretty much all-encompassing, with personal interpretations from talking heads sharing their most memorable accounts in anecdotal terms. You'll find yourself adoring the puppets and landscapes (complete with moving parts, mind you!) crafted to reenact these moments, that they'll surely bring about a chuckle or two in the childish, kitschy style presented. Don't head out the door just yet when the end credits start rolling, especially if you're a fan of that insanely touching yet comedic love song performed by Charlyne Yi, and for that little stinger at the end. It's an ambitious documentary of sorts for taking on a subject as vast as "Love", and personally I thought there's a subtle lesson learnt here from all the couples who have made it through their decades-long marriage anniversaries, and that is being a guy, it's as one of the interviewees mentioned, just say I do and subsequently, forever, just Yes Dear. Looking at the way the film got constructed, it's also important to keep the mouth shut, and agree with everything the lady says. Just watch the film, and see if you agree with me on this one!

Let me start off by saying, "I don't like Michael Cera." Awkward. Quiet. Almost prepubescent. He's displayed the same characteristics in every role. It's exhausting! That being said, Paper Heart wasn't a film I was too hyped about seeing. But the premise is what got me. Faux-documentary starring musician/comedian Charlyne Yi as herself questioning, "Does true love exist?" Along the way, Yi meets with that loathsome robot of an actor Michael Cera, also playing himself. Their meeting and continuing friendship and eventual relationship becomes a center point for the documentary as the filmmaker Nicholas Jasenovec, not being played by himself but by actor Jake Johnson, tries to find out if Charlyne is finding true love. Now, already knowing that I am a Michael Cera hater, you would think that I would have instantly written off the film the moment he appears on screen. Well. You'd be mistaken. We're shown a more toned down awkwardness of Michael Cera. He's more laid back and actually kind of suave, in his own weird Michael Cera way. It was actually... refreshing! The relationship between Charlyne and Michael actually seems genuine. They exhibit a great amount of chemistry. Their evolution from acquaintances to friends to boyfriend/girlfriend is believable, which naturally benefits the film. Charlyne Yi also has nice chemistry with the strangers she encounters and questions about the matters of the heart. The interviewees tell charming and convincing stories that do come off as real, unscripted moments. Overall, Yi shines through in every scene. She's natural. Funny. Cute. Bubbling with enthusiasm. By now, all movie-goers are familiar with the quirky, romantic comedy and the mockumentary. And Paper Heart does fall prey to an all-too-familiar style. The evolution of the characters is predictable. It progresses just like a normal romantic comedy would. (Not going to spoil the ending.) The "documentary" crew must have contained at least 3 or 4 camera operators. All the angles are covered. Edits between cameras are done with nearly precise accuracy. Normally, I would smile graciously upon such precision. But it doesn't quite work for Paper Heart. The film comes across more like a narrative film than a documentary, which you wouldn't think director Jasenovec would be going for. It sort of clashes a bit with the delightful chemistry between the actors in many cases and makes their performances seem more contrived than real. Still, Paper Heart is a cute and enjoyable film. Michael Cera is a SURPRISINGLY good character and Charlyne Yi is as cute as a button. Predictable? Yes. Sappy? Yes. But still enjoyable. It's got heart. A heart stronger than the title might suggest. Paper Heart will be enjoyable for its target audience and may even be a good movie for adult couples to see. Love is a game of risk taking and can't be explained by anybody. Just take a chance. And if you liked Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (I did not) or Juno (One great of '08) or just want to enjoy a cute little love story then take a chance on Paper Heart.