Melting hearts in Paper Heart

Charlyne Yi's mission to find out what love is all about

By Alysse Dalessandro
Published: July 31st, 2009 | 12:55pm

"Have you ever been in love?" asks comedian Charlyne Yi . The question seems simple enough, but Yi is an avid non-believer in love. Paper Heart is her quest to see what love means to different people and she does so by traveling across the country from Little Rock to Albuquerque to see what people have to say about that pesky emotion called love.

Yi interviews anyone who might have something to say about the topic: high school sweethearts, scientists, Las Vegas ministers, divorce lawyers, romance novelists, and even elementary school children. She also consults famous friends, like Seth Rogan and Demitri Martin. Yi admits she's skeptical about love, but "doesn't want to end up an old spinster."

There appears to be plenty to love about Yi. She has an offbeat sense of humor, and an awkward laugh that either melts your heart or makes you beg for earplugs. She sports unkempt hair with a casual style of zip-up hoodies, jeans, and flannel shirts — a pleasant contrast from her Hollywood twenty-something counterparts (that would be you, Megan Fox).

When Yi meets Michael Cera, her quirky male equivalent, at a party, it is clear that there is another story developing in the interview-style documentary. Whether they're eating fries at hot dog shop or sipping water at the Los Angeles Zoo, Cera and Yi's budding relationship becomes part of the plot and one that director Nick Jasenovac wants to push.

The film is shot in a documentary style as Yi and Jasenovac discuss shots and potential interview questions. It appears as though the viewer is getting a behind the scenes look at the filming process, but Paper Heart is really a story dressed up in a documentary's clothes. The fun rapport between director and actor is actually between actor and actor. Although Jasenovac is really the film's director, Jake M. Johnson plays him as a character in the movie. The film may be scripted, but there appears to be nothing fake about Yi's discomfort in a lace and sequined wedding gown or her enthusiasm as she shoots off fireworks. Until recently, Yi and Cera were a real-life couple and their on-screen romance occurs as expected: awkward yet endearing.

At only 22, Yi serves as the film's writer, executive producer, composer, and most notably, puppet designer. When interview subjects tell their stories about how they knew it was "true love," Yi becomes a master of puppets showing her DIY creations acting out the stories. Her materials? Stretched out paper clips, thread, paper, and fishing wire.

The story's approach to both love and romance is refreshing as theaters continue to be overly saturated with romantic comedies pushing strict gender roles. While this film shows that love means something different for everyone, it would be hard to dispute the genuineness in Yi's quest to find out for herself.