2.5/4  Best Script Goes to a Documentary (what?)
Why this is capturing audiences? I don't know. It won the Sundance award for the best script. Come to find out that when they started shooting the documentary, nothing was scripted. They did, however, have a 5 page outline/treatment. Oh... (read full)

5/5 What part of hybrid documentary do you NOT understand???
  by Andrew Jacobs (Orange County, CA)
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.

5/5 What part of hybrid documentary do you NOT understand???
  by Andrew Jacobs (Orange County, CA)
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.

5/5 What part of hybrid documentary do you NOT understand???
  by Andrew Jacobs (Orange County, CA)
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.

3/5 Paper Heart Movie Review from The Massie Twins
  by thejoelmeister (www.GoneWithTheTwins.com)
Perhaps as whimsical and spontaneous as the very nature of true love, Paper Heart examines the varying degrees and definitions of that magical feeling with little finite direction, but the quirky characters and creative presentation balance out a wandering plot. Halfway through, the documentary approach gives way to the fairytale romance it set out to disprove, somewhat negating the efficacy of documenting reality, though the seamless blending with narrative storytelling does provide a uniquely intriguing result. Only upon outside investigation will the elaborate façade peel away; but almost certainly research will be done by those finding themselves drawn to the lives portrayed onscreen. While the film may not tell you what love really is, it might angle your pre-existing notions about the subject towards something more promisingly optimistic.

A somewhat pseudo-documentary romantic comedy, Paper Heart follows Nick (Jake M. Johnson) and Charlyne (Charlyne Yi) on a cross-country journey to document what exactly "love" is. Interviewing ministers, happily married couples, chemists, romance novelists, divorce lawyers, a group of children and more, the determined young girl attempts to find definition and perhaps even experience the mysterious emotion. But as they travel across the United States and even venture to "The City of Love" her pessimistic denial may hinder her chances at finding real happiness.

Love can be defined in countless methods, as well as be interpreted in an endless amount of ways. But we already knew that. Paper Heart doesn't educate audiences on the many hypotheses, nor does it clarify the answers. It merely makes a social commentary on the subject. Movies and fairy tales have a lot to do with skewing perceptions on love and it seems that people are generally a bit skeptical. But whether it's a chemical reaction, a drug-induced state or a mystical phenomenon, the film only serves as an experiment in love - under the constant bombardment of cameras. The nonexistence of privacy is such a distracting factor that real love never has a chance at developing normally.

Paper Heart proves that Michael Cera is the same in real life as he portrays characters in film. It also proves that anyone can make a movie provided someone famous or well-connected is involved. Regardless of how much is staged, giving it a half-documentary feel, the stories by real people prove to be the most interesting. Yi and Cera's chemistry is like something out of a movie, and considering the involvement of the filming crew, it's never really more than that. Perhaps most unique is the improvised documentary approach, convincing us that the editing and presentation is based almost entirely on how an undetermined romance plays out. The editing with stylized paper dolls is similarly amusing, but in the end, Yi's beliefs don't really change. It's not about her inability to love, but rather her unwillingness to define it.

- The Massie Twins

4/5 A charming and inventive faux documentary about geeky artists in love
  by Nathan Andersen (Florida)
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.