‘Heart’ explains the workings of love

Monday, November 30, 2009 - 7:00 PM

Love is one of those mysteries that people spend their whole lives wondering about and searching for. Depending on whom you speak to, love is either a magical happening or just a psychological trick one’s mind plays in order to make someone more willing to procreate. Charlyne Yi sets out to solve this mystery in “Paper Heart.”

Charlyne Yi and Michael Cera star as young lovers setting out on a cross-country journey to film a documentary on the subject of love. Courtesy of Overture Films.

Yi, the actress, musician and comedienne who is most widely known for her short role in “Knocked Up,” stars as herself in “Paper Heart,” an indie film about her journey to see if love, which she doesn’t believe in, actually exists. Along the way, Yi not only gains insight on what love means to others from interviews with several people, she also finds herself in an unexpected romance with Michael Cera, who also plays himself.

“Paper Heart,” which was co-written by Yi, displays an interesting format. The film is a mockumentary, containing footage of unscripted interviews with everyday people about what they believe love is, intertwined with a fictionalized storyline. Think “Bruno,” minus the hilarious exploitation of ignorant people and close-up penis shots.

The beginning of the film, which features Yi unsuccessfully trying to interview people about what love means to them, serves as an indication of what the underlying theme of ”Paper Heart” is: awkwardness. Every aspect of the film is filled with pure, untactful awkwardness; there is no other way to explain it.

Second-hand embarrassment ensues several times during the film, from the time Yi interviews bikers in a bar, all while looking like a confused and frightened deer in headlights, to the time she tries on a wedding dress in a Las Vegas wedding chapel looking like a little inept girl playing dress-up, and especially in all the scenes involving Cera and Yi’s blossoming romance. Even Yi’s quirky and eccentric demeanor and style, accented by her mussed hair, oversized spectacles and the permanently astonished and bewildered look on her face, is awkward. But that is what makes her, and “Paper Heart,” so endearing and relatable; the fact that it documents an average, discomfited girl’s journey to find out what love is. Haven’t we all been able to relate to that at some point in our lives?

“Paper Heart’s” strongest aspect is the heartwarming and eye-opening interviews Yi conducts with people from all different walks of life, including the young, old, black, white, gay and straight. A few celebrities even make cameo interviews in the film, including Seth Rogen and Martin Starr. The responses Yi receives about the joys of love, especially in a segment where she interviews children, are awe-inspiring and are sure to warm even those most cynical about love. My black, icy heart certainly melted.

But even these insightful interviews can’t save “Paper Heart” from the downturn it takes when the film shifts its focus from Yi’s road trip to her fictionalized relationship with Cera. The two actors, who were reported to have been actually dating during the making of “Paper Heart,” lacked any on-screen chemistry. Instead of acting like a true couple, Yi’s and Cera’s relationship came off as a contrived, stumbling mess. Even though it’s pretty obvious in the film’s context that they were supposed to come off as nervous and uncertain lovers trying to navigate their relationship during the filming of Yi’s documentary, Yi and Cera missed the note and seem to be portraying lost puppies. It is apparent from all the films I’ve seen Cera in that his shtick is playing a fumbling, awkward, sensitive guy and, quite frankly, it’s getting old. If Cera had just let go of playing his comfort role, the relationship aspect of the film would’ve seemed as authentic as the interviews that make “Paper Heart” shine.

While “Paper Heart” certainly has some creases that need to be ironed out, the film is pretty well shot and well produced for such a low-budget project, and offers multiple thought-provoking viewpoints on the meaning of love and if it truly exists. If anything, people should see it for the simple fact that Yi’s skeptical viewpoint on love made the film very refreshing and relatable, especially in an era where movies about love are generally sappy and nausea-inducing rom-coms starring Katherine Heigl or Hugh Grant.

‘Paper Heart’

DVD Release Date: Dec. 1

Director: Nicholas Jasenovec

Starring: Charlyne Yi, Michael Cera and Jake Johnson

Genre: Comedy, Romance, Mockumentary

Rating: PG-13 for some language

Grade: B-