So what is love, anyway? It's a subject that pervades every corner of our culture, from high-brow literature to pop songs and syrupy romantic comedies, but are we any closer to understanding what love is? Part documentary, part fiction, "Paper Heart" is the story of comedian Charlyne Yi's quest to get a handle on love, both from her interview subjects and her own brush with romance with (real-life boyfriend) Michael Cera ("
Superbad").
Best known as the stoner girl from "Knocked Up", Yi is a seasoned comedic performer and musician with a following amongst Hollywood's young hip set. Yi, herself, could hardly be called a starlet. An oddball, disheveled tomboy, "Chuck" (as her friends call her) is simply "one of the guys", claiming never to have been in love or even to believe in the notion. At the suggestion of her friend and director, Nick Jasenovec (played on-screen by Jake Johnson), they set out to create a documentary about what love really means.
On their cross-country journey, Chuck and "Nick" interview friends, ordinary folk, romance novelists, scientists, psychics and schoolchildren about what love means to them. Unkempt and awkward on camera, the soft-spoken Yi hardly seems the ideal interviewer, but her quirky appeal and aggressively adorable dimples seem to quickly win over her subjects, including the grizzled denizens of an Oklahoma biker bar.
Her subjects tell stories about all kinds of love: lost love, enduring love, puppy love, happy-ever-afters and chemical reactions. Rather than just show her subjects talking on camera, Yi uses elaborate paper puppet shows to illustrate their stories as they narrate. Using puppets, practical effects, clever camera blocking and editing, these sequences bring the stories magically to life. Though we see little of Yi's stage show in the film, her puppet sequences reveal an imagination that is altogether charming and ― as in the case where she eventually narrates her own story ― hilarious and witty.
As a counterpoint to "Paper Heart", Yi and Jasenovec include a fictional side-story about her budding relationship with indie It-boy, Michael Cera (playing himself). Meeting at a house party, Cera (more comfortable and confident than his typical on-screen persona) takes immediately to Chuck. Shy and awkward around strangers, Yi is at first put off by Cera's advances. As the cameras roll, their relationship unfolds from chance meetings and instant messages to their first date. Their fledgling romance is, as one would imagine, both awkward and adorable. But while Chuck begins to warm to the idea of love, the constant intrusion of a camera crew begins to wear on Cera, putting a strain on their new relationship.
The combination of documentary and meta-narrative (not to mention the puppets) could have come off as gimmicky and twee, but Yi and Jasenovec somehow make it work. While Cera is the most well-known of anyone connected to the film, this is absolutely Yi's film. Her worries about being just "the girlfriend" and "losing her zing" are put to rest here. Her sweet, quirky charm ― mixed with a healthy dose of skepticism and pragmatism ― keeps the film centered and focused.
In addition to writing, producing and starring in "Paper Heart", Yi also composed the movie's score (with Cera). With help from Alden Penner (of The Unicorns) and Zach Condon (Beirut), Yi and Cera create an appropriately charming and surprisingly adept group of songs to accompany the film. Yi's "Magic Perfume", in particular, is a ridiculously catchy and delightful ode to young love.
"Paper Heart" is wonderfully appealing look at love without being sickeningly sweet. An indie in every sense of the word, it is a tiny little film with a lot of spirit. Be ye skeptic or romantic, you're sure to find something to love in "Paper Heart".
