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16 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What part of hybrid documentary do you NOT understand???, September 18, 2009
As a general rule, I don't read reviews of anything or pay any attention to critics (even internet-nobody critics like myself). To paraphrase the great Henry Rollins, the vast majority of 'em are not worth the food they're fed. I must confess, however, that had it not been for a couple of movie critics on TV (names obviously withheld) that I happened to catch in passing, I would never have found out about either Paper Heart or the weird and wonderful world of Charlyne Yi, Paper Heart's star/co-creator/co-writer. So for that, I thank those critics in question. And that's where my use for 'em ends.
Most of the criticism levelled at Paper Heart that I'm aware of has to do with it not being a "true" documentary (though Charlyne and director/co-creator/co-writer Nicholas Jasenovec themselves have CLEARLY stated in many interviews that it is, in fact, a "hybrid documentary" that, according to the official Paper Heart website, "combines elements of documentary and traditional storytelling, reality and fantasy to bring a fresh perspective to the modern romance and redefines the classic love story") and the relationship between Charlyne Yi and co-star Michael Cera not actually being real (please refer to my parenthesesed remarks immediately preceding these parenthesesed remarks). I'm not exactly sure what all of these critics are not understanding but it's pretty apparent that as usual, they just don't get it.
I personally believe that Paper Heart beautifully succeeds as the hybrid documentary that it is and totally fits the definition of it above. Charlyne Yi is an extremely fascinating young newcomer with a smile that can light up a room and truckloads of charm to boot. I look forward to seeing MUCH more of her in the future. Michael Cera is Michael Cera and there's certainly nothing wrong with that, as the success of both Superbad and Juno have clearly proven. Jake Johnson deserves special mention for his dry and understated performance as the director, Nicholas Jasenovec (natch). I also eagerly await his upcoming work. Also worth mentioning are the adorable little vignettes interspersed throughout the film where real people talk about their experiences being in love and their stories are told via charming as hell two-dimensional puppets created by, you guessed it, the charming as hell Charlyne Yi. The soundtrack, composed primarily by Michael Cera and Charlyne Yi (with help from many other talented and gifted songwriters/musicians), is the icing on the cake and provides a terrific listening experience on it's own.
Paper Heart is a very witty and entertaining film. I highly recommend it.
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8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
One of the worst movies ever, December 4, 2009
First off, let me just say that I "get" the movie. I understand the faux documentary style, the fact that part or all of it is scripted, etc. It just didn't work. The movie starts off documenting Yi's journey to find the meaning of love, but her vignettes didn't really capture enough interest. Perhaps it's because those were the unscripted parts, but I found them akin to the interludes in "When Harry Met Sally" with that movie having done them in a funny yet touching way. Along the way, she meets Michael Cera, who was the only bright spot in the movie, even if he's essentially playing in a style similar to other roles he's had ("Juno", "Arrested Development"). His character was at least likeable, whereas I found Charlene Yi to be rather annoying. Yi was just giggly, immature, and just not a captivating screen presence. Her (or her character) seemed wishy-washy and flaky. I couldn't relate or sympathize with her in any way.
The interludes in this movie also included some homegrown cardboard-cutout animation. I'll admit it was cute and different, and really would have amped up a much better movie. There was nothing laugh-out-loud funny in this movie, and as for touching, well Yi and Cera just have no onscreen chemistry. The movie is thankfully only 88 minutes long, but I actually found myself fast-forwarding about halfway through just to get to the "relationship" parts between Yi and Cera just to see how that played out. The movie aims for a "HEA" ending, or happily-ever-after ending, but because the camera is suddenly shunned from recording their lives, the audience is never shown what transpires to bring about the alleged happy ending. It felt disjointed and uneven. Even if this aimless movie attempted to be a character study, as that is all some movies ever are, it failed in that respect with thin, unappealing characters. Don't let the fact that the cast list includes Seth Rogen and Martin Starr fool you. The fractions of a minute that any of Yi's fellow comedians are onscreen isn't worth the price of admission.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A charming and inventive faux documentary about geeky artists in love, July 25, 2009
Charlyne Yi (Chuck), the minor character with the awkward laugh and big glasses who played somebody's girlfriend in Knocked Up, is an LA-based artist and comedian who plays herself in this faux documentary, about the making of a documentary about a girl who wants to know whether love is for real. She traverses the country, speaking to people from all walks of life: scientists, married couples, both straight and gay, a romance novelist, a divorce judge and family lawyer who happen to be married, a psychic, musicians, kids. All of those she talks to seem to believe in the possibility of love, and Charlyne wonders whether it could happen to her.
Of course it does. Along the way she meets Michael Cera, apparently her actual boyfriend, as himself, and a small romance begins only to be interrupted and stifled by the fact that the director of the documentary within the faux documentary insists upon filming every intimate moment in the development of their relationship. In spite of the deception built into the basic conceit, and in spite of the awkwardness of the leads, the film is quite sweet and tender and honest about love. The film never gives away that it is not really a documentary -- and a few audience members of the Sundance premiere were shocked to discover that it wasn't all real during the Q&A period after the film.
Charlyne Yi has a sweet awkwardness and infectious smile, and an inventive way of telling stories: she creates clever cardboard animation sequences to illustrate the sincere accounts of true love her interviewees tell. The film itself feels completely sincere, and holds up the possibility of love without closing on a "happy ever after." Paper Hearts is an inventive and unusual and entertainingly unique romantic comedy. If making the film doesn't entirely convince the heroine of the possibility of love, it should convince anyone but the most jaded filmgoer of the vital possibilities for independent cinematic reinventions of traditional film genres. It's got a vibe like Juno (with which it shares a major character), but I found it to be much more fresh and interesting.
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