Grrrr, I want to hate this movie. I really do. It's a bit too quirky for it's own good, most of the interview segments fall flat and are repetitive, and frankly Charlyne Yi creeps me out a little. But dammit, it sucker punched me with it's honest and refreshing look at whether or not love truly exists for everybody, especially in front of a camera. Sunofabitch romantic comedies.
Paper Heart is a mockumentary. See that, girl sitting next to me who thought the movie was real? Mockumentary. Keyword: mock. Noted performance artist Yi plays herself, a funny but cautious comedianne who doesn't believe in love. She's reminiscent of Zooey Deschanel's character in 500 Days of Summer, only a bit less of the manic pixie variety. Charlyne and her friend/director, Nick, decide to do a sortof road trip documentary exploring the idea of love, hoping in some small way to open her heart to the possibility of it.
So she and her crew travel to various small towns and big cities, interviewing married couples on the realities of falling in love. For the most part, Charlyne seems to be a passive participant, listening to the stories relayed to her by couples who've been together for decades. The reason I found this to be repetitive is that for the most part they all share the same story: They've been together forever; love is a wonderful thing; don't let it get away. A perfectly fine message, but there isn't enough variety in the types of people interviewed. We get one brief glimpse of a young couple just starting out, but they literally get about 30 seconds of time. It's no wonder none of this stuff has any real effect on Charlyne's outlook. These scenes are intercut with beautiful paper cut-outs portraying the stories of each of these couples. These brief scenes are wonderfully engaging and detailed, making each of these unique tales feel like something out of a storybook romance.
It's not until she runs into Michael Cera that things really take off. They meet up at a party, and he instantly takes interest in the peculiar, defensive Charlyne. They become fast friends, which makes sense because she is essentially a female version of him. Both are quiet, overly self aware, and socially awkward except when around eachother. As their relationship blooms, fresh problems arise. Their relationship becomes an integral part of the filming. The movie begins to take over their relationship to a degree and threatens to drive them apart. What's worse, Charlyne has to come to grips with the idea that everything she ever believed about love might be a lie. But what if it proves to be the truth? Where would that leave her and Michael?
Paper Heart's premise bears a resemblance to 500 Days of Summer, in that the woman is the one not really believing in the very idea that true love exists. It's the guy who is the hopeless romantic, and while Cera isn't exactly anyone's idea of the typical leading man, he handles the role in his usual fashion. This is one instance where I felt Cera's overt sensitivity clicked perfectly. It works best in character pieces like this, not so much in a farcical comedy like Year One. It feels natural and sincere. Charlyne, I won't lie, kinda bugged me at first. She seemed like a cliche indie character initially. All creepy smiles and wacky tendencies. As she gets grilled by her famous buddies like Seth Rogen and Martin Starr, she doesn't strike me as someone with anything real to say. It's almost as if those scenes were thrown in just to show the circle she hangs around in. Later however, as her defensive begin to come down, Charlyne becomes less of a caricature and more of a real human being moving cautiously into unfamiliar territory. It's hard not to root for these two to be happy. By the end I kinda wanted this to be a true story, which I think is the highest praise I can give it.
Won't work for everybody, but those sick of typical romances and fans of comedy will find something to enjoy.
7/10
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