Paper Heart (2009)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Melvin W

  
  "A story about love that's taking on a life of it's own." Paper Heart is an odd and extremely off beat fake documentary. What's more odd then the film is the fact that I actually liked it. Not a lot, but I did enjoy it for the most part. On another note, I… More
  "A story about love that's taking on a life of it's own." Paper Heart is an odd and extremely off beat fake documentary. What's more odd then the film is the fact that I actually liked it. Not a lot, but I did enjoy it for the most part. On another note, I don't think I could come up with a couple that is more perfect for each other then Charleyne Yi and Michael Cera. Both of whom are the definition of awkward.  The movie really relies on if you can take Yi's brand of humor or not. Most can't, I however, am a fan of the awkward, it's so not funny it's funny comedy style Yi employs. The movie centers around Yi not believing in love. She meets Michael Cera and likes him, but she still doesn't believe in love. Although I did like the movie, it does over stay it's welcome. But it is a short little movie; clocking in at about an hour twenty. We see familiar faces like Seth Rogen and Demetri Martin for little cameos.  The only thing that really got old was all the old couples that have interview. I can understand a few, but it seems like overkill. They all say basically the same thing. If they would have cut one or two of them out, I would have liked Paper Heart a lot more. The runtime would have came in at like an hour and five to ten minutes, but that probably would have helped the movie a little too. As it is though, I still enjoyed it for it's awkwardness. I would never recommend it to anyone though because I do understand that the majority would not like this movie at all.

• Jennifer X

  
  Oh my god, I'm usually not that shallow, but Charlyne Yi is so unattractive and awkward I literally could not watch for any longer. Girlfriend best not act ever again. Also this movie: way way too annoying and self-aware, even for hipsters.

• Michael S

  
  Really short, has it's moments of quirk and few laughs here and there, but the lead (Charlyne Yi, who I like in small doses as evident in KNOCKED UP) really get's on my nerves and wears out her welcome. The film unfortunately did too.

• ♥˩ƳИИ &

  
  Cast: Charlyne Yi, Michael Cera, Jake M. Johnson, Demetri Martin, Seth Rogen, Paul Rust, Derek Waters, Martin Starr, Sarah Baker Director: Nicholas Jasenovec Summary: Eccentric performer and romantic skeptic Charlyne Yi embarks on a quest to learn the true nature of love --… More
  Cast: Charlyne Yi, Michael Cera, Jake M. Johnson, Demetri Martin, Seth Rogen, Paul Rust, Derek Waters, Martin Starr, Sarah Baker Director: Nicholas Jasenovec Summary: Eccentric performer and romantic skeptic Charlyne Yi embarks on a quest to learn the true nature of love -- and gathers some surprising findings when she begins a relationship with actor Michael Cera. Real-life sweethearts Yi and Cera star as themselves in this quirky hybrid of documentary and scripted comedy. My Thoughts: "Cute little quirky film about finding love and the meaning of it I thought the relationship between Charlyne and Michael was cute. I could see his frustraion easily by being filmed the entire relationship. I enjoyed all of the stories told by all the various people, and how different they each perceived it. My heart broke a little for Charlyne in the Paris scene when she expresses why she is sad. Felt bad for the gal. It's a cute, charming, quirky love story."

• Megan S

  
  Forgettable...

• Spencer S

  
  Mostly just an awkward view of an awkward person.

• Leigh R

  
  Cute and all, but a little sad.

• Tim S

  
  This movie is very sweet, but the lead got on my nerves. I think her whole schtick is quite abnormal and the fact that she acts like that in real life is even more annoying. I also hated how the director kept popping up in the movie, revealing how clever the entire movie was. The best… More
  This movie is very sweet, but the lead got on my nerves. I think her whole schtick is quite abnormal and the fact that she acts like that in real life is even more annoying. I also hated how the director kept popping up in the movie, revealing how clever the entire movie was. The best part of this movie is Michael Cera which is sad because he wastes a good performance in this film. I know he is just being himself, but I didn't mind it because he is even more charming and funny when he is not acting nervous/wanna-be charming and funny. I dug the idea behind the film, but thought it would have been better suited for someone who I don't want to fucking strangle because they are literally the most annoying person on this planet.

• Mark H

  
  Overly affected romantic comedy chronicles comedienne Charlyne Yi's trip across America as she makes a documentary on the subject of love. Along the way she meets actor Michael Cera playing himself. These supposedly improvised scenes are so carefully prepared that the only joke… More
  Overly affected romantic comedy chronicles comedienne Charlyne Yi's trip across America as she makes a documentary on the subject of love. Along the way she meets actor Michael Cera playing himself. These supposedly improvised scenes are so carefully prepared that the only joke is on the actors who think they're fooling anyone into thinking this is unrehearsed. The two stars do have some chemistry, but it's buried beneath such artifice that it renders any real emotion void. As a romantic lead, Charlene is puzzlingly childlike, nervously gigging throughout the film at everything and anything. One of those quirky comedies that thinks it's cute to ask a ridiculous question and then cut away to a different scene before the audience can even hear the answer. Self-conscious and precious.

• Aaron N

  
  Nick: Your guys' relationship is definitely part of this movie now. You know, beneath many of the reasons that this movie will be disliked by different groups of people, due to the aspects of it that make it "hip", "trendy", "indie", or any other… More
  Nick: Your guys' relationship is definitely part of this movie now. You know, beneath many of the reasons that this movie will be disliked by different groups of people, due to the aspects of it that make it "hip", "trendy", "indie", or any other buzz words that this could fall under, there is a well acted film here. This is a quasi-documentary that takes a premise and films actual stories/conversations, re-enacts some of them with cardboard cut out art, and finally places a relationship story into the mix as well. It doesn't all work to make a smooth feature, but I got enjoyment out of its eccentricities. Comedian/Musician Charlyne Yi stars as herself in a documentary looking to have her travel around the country in order to find out if she can ever believe in love. She travels to various locations with the film crew, including the director Nick, who is played by an actor and not the actual director, Nick Jasenovec, and interviews various people about their experience with love. Some of the stories shared are, as I mentioned, re-enacted in creative cardboard art shows. During Charlyne's journey, she befriends actor Michael Cera (playing a version of himself) and the two eventually strike up a real relationship, which will now be captured within the documentary (You shouldn't have to think too hard about if this is an actual event that occurred in this film). This film really hits its quirky notes hard in certain aspects, but I wasn't bugged by this. The real problems I had were with the overall tone change within the film during its last act. It follows an obvious structure that just isn't too intriguing. However, knowing that the "movie" aspect of this film (opposed to the doc) is not in fact real, I did appreciate the filmmaking aspect when handling these characters, which showed some fine acting from the three main performances. This is certainly not a perfect film, but I liked what it tried to do enough to enjoy it. Seth Rogan: Your love glass is half full.

• James A

  
  I'm not even sure that hipsters can say they enjoy this. Charlyne Yi does not belong in the realm of comedy. She just isn't funny.

• Jake .

  
  I should have reviewed this right after I finished it, because now, days later, all I remember is that I liked it. Its cute, flinty, and charming. I think the interviews and the puppetish stuff it what really made the movie though. The rest was good, but that is really what made it… More
  I should have reviewed this right after I finished it, because now, days later, all I remember is that I liked it. Its cute, flinty, and charming. I think the interviews and the puppetish stuff it what really made the movie though. The rest was good, but that is really what made it wonderful. Idk, the stories themselves were fasinating, but then it also helped the whole documentary end of things. Part are tragic, parts are hilarous, but all around Paper Heart is a fun and captivating movie to watch.

• Randy T

  
  The premise is a good one, and Charlyne Yi is very charming in her own quirky way, but the film just doesn't flow. Sappy, slow moving romantic comedy with a few bright moments.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"A story about love that's taking on a life of its own."</i> Charlyne Yi embarks on a quest across America to make a documentary about the one subject she doesn't fully understand: Love. <center><font size=+2 face="Century… More
  <i>"A story about love that's taking on a life of its own."</i> Charlyne Yi embarks on a quest across America to make a documentary about the one subject she doesn't fully understand: Love. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> Charlyne Yi claims she doesn't believe in love (although she seems to want to believe in it). She and her friend, director Nicholas Jasenovec (on camera played by actor, Jake Johnson, so that the real Nicholas Jasenovec can spend time behind the camera) hit the road to try and somehow answer her questions by interviewing anybody who is willing to talk on camera. In the middle of all this, Michael Cera somehow strikes up a friendship with Yi, which somehow manages to turn into a relationship (of sorts). Of course, turns out to shift the focus in the film a bit. Other talking heads figure in this pseudo documentary cum mockumentary (actor/writer/director, Seth Rogen,who is a friend of Yi's, briefly turns up to put in his two cents worth). Along the way, we find out a little more about Charlyne Yi (besides being an actress, she's also a part time musician who actually writes & performs some of the songs in this film). Further down the road Charlyne and Michael start to get a bit tired of being in the camera lens when they just want a little down time to be alone together. Charlyne Yi seems a bit too tentative in her portrayal of herself at times. Worth taking a look at if you enjoy quirky,youth oriented film fare such as the above mentioned.

• Nicki M

  
  Cute. Not exactly what I expected, and very slight in plot, but extra half star for the song she wrote!

• Walter M

  
  "Paper Heart," a mildly appealing mix of documentary and fiction, starts with musician/comedian Charlyne Yi looking for love in Las Vegas. Spurred on by fears that she will grow old alone(as of this writing she is 24), this is only one stop on her tour to interview couples… More
  "Paper Heart," a mildly appealing mix of documentary and fiction, starts with musician/comedian Charlyne Yi looking for love in Las Vegas. Spurred on by fears that she will grow old alone(as of this writing she is 24), this is only one stop on her tour to interview couples to hear their romantic stories that also includes Amarillo, Nashville and New York City. Some of which are animated in charmingly low tech ways. As long as the movie stays with her and her odyssey, the movie works its bittersweet magic. And bringing in a love interest in an improvised storyline to perhaps prove her wrong is not a terrible idea. But when it turns out to be Michael Cera at his most feckless whose fame is also enough to pop the documentary bubble, any kind of good will quickly disappears. On the other hand, maybe it is just the movie's and the universe's way of saying you do not have to settle. Face it, you are never going to be truly alone when you have a documentary film crew following you.

• Glenn G

  
  Ugh! I REALLY wanted to like this film more than I did...but it was so fucking boring and in love with itself, that I just couldn't fake it. I typically love Charlyne Yi, but she is just terrible here. This hybrid documentary/fakeout just goes on and on with these wonderful… More
  Ugh! I REALLY wanted to like this film more than I did...but it was so fucking boring and in love with itself, that I just couldn't fake it. I typically love Charlyne Yi, but she is just terrible here. This hybrid documentary/fakeout just goes on and on with these wonderful little interviews with real couples and then every 5 minutes, those are interrupted with a staged romance that feels lifeless, uninvolving, and hideously acted. It felt like one of those movies that people wet their pants over at Sundance that simply don't translate when you come off the rarified air of that mountain.

• Jeff T

  
  So close to something great, and so far away. A charming documentary-ish movie that undercuts its great real sequences with the dicey gamble of a fictional love story (even if that fictional love story is based on a true one, it's still fiction). The end result is all the true… More
  So close to something great, and so far away. A charming documentary-ish movie that undercuts its great real sequences with the dicey gamble of a fictional love story (even if that fictional love story is based on a true one, it's still fiction). The end result is all the true stuff starts to get questionable because there's this loopy "acted" stuff intercut. But the charming documentary-style interviews with real people (highlighted by some delightful and odd puppet theatre) are absolutely perfect, and the meta love story, though fishy, is sweet. A daring approach to an age-old subject, with good stuff all over the place. It's just not (500) Days of Summer, though, is it?

• Dannielle A

  
  I was WAY TOO distracted while watching this "documentary " and I couldn't enjoy it because I kept on wondering if it was a fictional story pre-scripted in the disguise as a documentary but actually a made-up story in which the romance between Cerra and Yi was entirely… More
  I was WAY TOO distracted while watching this "documentary " and I couldn't enjoy it because I kept on wondering if it was a fictional story pre-scripted in the disguise as a documentary but actually a made-up story in which the romance between Cerra and Yi was entirely a work of fiction and never actually occurred in real life. I almost believe Cerra but Yi's presence is so uncomfortable in front of the camera... like, she makes these dopey grins or shy grins or just the way she interacts with people in front of the camera... I can't tell if it's for the movie or if it's for real. Oh well. I was really hoping for more.

• Lesley N

  
  Film-played-as-documentary as Charlyne Yi sets off to find out what love is, and acquires Michael Cera along the way. Cute enough if you buy the idea that film stars are just regular guys, getting nervous on dates and hanging out at Burger King like the rest of us.

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