Review of Paper Heart (2009) by Stuart K — 24 Mar 2011

The brainchild of comedienne/musician Charlyne Yi and director Nicholas Jasenovec, this is an odd indie mockumentary that starts out as a documentary, but goes in another direction entirely about a third of the way through, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

It has Yi doing a documentary about a subject she knows nearly nothing about, love. She travels across America asking people about what they think love is and how they express it, it takes Yi from weird themed weddings in Las Vegas, to two judges who fell for each other in a court house, complete with reconstructions done by Yi in puppet animation, It also has brief interviews with Yi's friends, including Seth Rogen, Demetri Martin and David Krumholtz.

One night, at a party somewhere in Texas, Yi meets a friend of director Jasenovec (Jake Johnson), who happens to be Michael Cera (playing himself). Yi and Cera immediately hit it off and begin a relationship, and the documentary moves from being a documentary about love, to focus on Yi and Cera's relationship, but will it last?? It's a very sweet film, with some nice moments throughout, but it doesn't know what it wants to be half of the time, but it's nice while it lasts.