Paper Heart is a 2009 American romantic comedy film starring Charlyne Yi and Michael Cera as fictionalized versions of themselves based on their rumored relationship, though Yi has said they never dated.[2][3][4]
The plot for the film is based on Charlyne Yi's original idea of a documentary, which director Nick Jasenovec suggested would be accentuated with a fictional storyline.[5][6] The film premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award.[7]
Plot
Charlyne Yi embarks on a quest across America to answer, "What is love?". She and director Nick search for answers and advice about love.
Yi asks people on the street as well as celebrities like Seth Rogen, Demetri Martin, bikers, romance novelists, children, and scientists to share their opinions and understanding of love. Each interview subject offer diverse views on modern romance, as well as various answers to the question of whether true love really exists.
Shortly after filming begins, Yi has a "chance meeting" with Michael Cera (playing a fictionalised version of himself) at a party. He begins to take an interest in her, and they get more comfortable with each other as the camera crew and director follow them around. As they go across the country, Yi and Cera begin dating.
A docufiction, there are three actors in this film, Jake M. Johnson is the only one who plays a role (Nicholas Jasenovec, the director of this film). Yi and Cera play fictionalised versions of themselves, while the remaining interview subjects and characters play themselves. Real couples talk about their own definitions of love. Stop-motion animation segments accompany some interview subjects' anecdotes about love.
"Everything with Charlyne, Mike and I was fictional, and everything on the road is real."[14] — Jake Johnson
"a few of the interviews were people she stumbled into. Most of them a “casting director from a reality series” found for her. But the Cera romance thing she’s a little more cagey about."[15] — Orlando Sentinel
"It's an extremely irritating, narcissistic picture, far inferior to Henry Jaglom's not dissimilar Someone to Love."[16] — The Observer
"Originally it was going to be a traditional documentary, and my idea was just to capture true love stories"[17] — Charlyne Yi
Reception
Paper Heart holds a 60% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 111 reviews. The website’s critics consensus reads, "Equal parts charming and refreshing, Paper Heart is a quirky mockumentary led by the endearing Charlyne Yi."[18]
Roger Ebert gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, saying the question of how much of Yi and Cera’s personas are real and how much is scripted give the film "an intriguing quality on top of its intrinsic appeal".[19] Sarah Cohen of Time Out wrote, "On the surface, this is a perfectly serviceable cutesy rom-com. The segments featuring real people are genuinely affecting, but the realisation that everything else is probably being acted – that truth may be polluted by hoax – gives this otherwise lightweight film a sly, subversive edge."[20] Elizabeth Weitzman of New York Daily News wrote, "Though often twee and self-congratulatory, Charlyne Yi’s biographical docudrama is just sweet enough to endear itself to those with a romantic bent."[21] Katey Rich of Cinema Blend said "Paper Heart is also a strong argument against writing off quirk entirely, given how many small delights there are in its shaggy faux-documentary frame", and commented, "The quirk occasionally walks right up to the line of unbearable, but it's Paper Heart's unabashedly bared soul that saves it in the end."[22]
