Paper Heart...

Good Morning,

It is Valentine’s Day week so here's a little Valentine's lore...

Some people said that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, it meant she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire.

alternatively...

if she saw a berry munching chickadee, she knew her car was going to get pooped on...

Some people said if you found a glove on the road on Valentine's Day, your future beloved will have the other missing glove...

OR

your beloved will be squished somewhere underneath the tires

Some people said the first man's name you read in the paper or hear will be the name of the man you will marry.

I say there are going to be a lot of women waiting around for a guy named Barack.

Somewhere in this mental mush is the nugget of motivation that lead me to select today's pick--Paper Heart!!!

It is a date movie which might be coming to an art theater near you.

Synopsis:

Charlyne Yi, a young LA-based comedian/performer says she doesn’t believe in love. So, she sets out to make a documentary with a director (who is also her friend) to ask the question- does love really exist?

Specifically, does romantic love really exist? If so, is she fundamentally incapable of being in love because she’s never experienced it? The journey takes her to talk with scientific experts, a rural psychic...to seek advice from an Elvis impersonator in Vegas and other gems of wisdom from everyday couples scattered throughout the heartland. For example, the Texas woman who was mysteriously wooed (read not embarrassed?) when her white knight drove his BIG ruck, UP the courthouse steps to keep her fancy boots from getting wet in the pouring rain. In Texas, I guess this is door-to-door service.

The astute film goer will notice as the creative process begins to unfold, the real life filmmaker also wrote in a storyline to keep the "documentary" footage interesting and compelling. Scribbled on a paper napkin it must have read--Charlyne meets Michael Cera (an A-list actor seen in Juno, Superbad) at a party and the audience watches these two beautifully awkward people date. The message hinted at but never really stated: Charlyne is biologically capable of falling in love and experiencing the full delicacy of its permutation.

In what comes across a bit like a deleted scene added at the end ultimately, we are left to conclude whether Charlyne has found the answer to the age-old question--has she found love for real?

My Reactions

Confusion:

I am always one secretly hoping each on screen kiss is real and disappointed to realize my favorite TV couple is NOT really married. In this manner, when the lights came up for the Q & A, i too wanted to bolt for the door rather than let the quirky-hip director dispel my fantasy. The director tried to be loose and evasive when pointedly asked were/are Charlyne and Michael Cera really dating? He gave the infuriating "Well what do you think?" answer which for the rest of us obviously meant no...


Critique:

This showing of Paper Heart was one of the balloted sessions. Each audience member is given a paper ballot upon entering the theater and asked to mark their "star" rating after the viewing. Out of 4 stars I gave it a 3.

The filmmakers had a very interesting question to ask. In the documentary segments I wanted straight answers from entertaining REAL characters. However, it seemed the characters were not funny enough to carry a scene without a script. It seemed obvious at times that they were responding as actors to fit a scene. From the cushy comfort of my theater seat this left me in limbo feeling like I was watching a parody of "Best in Show" (a dog show spoof).

The STRONG exception to this general rule was a playground scene. When asked questions about love, it's ever so clear children are only in the moment and will say anything.

Recommendation

Paper Heart was a Screenwriting Award Winner for the writer/director Nicholas Jasenovec. There is no doubt this film serves as innovative and creative storytelling-"a wonderfully imagined journey of one girl's search for love."

I am left with an appreciation of a poignant, funny, and intelligent film with one remaining tear in the paper heart.

Charlyne and Michael's charismatic personalities were so strong they often overshadowed the engaging interviews. Upon their meeting, I wanted to see a whole movie with these two interacting as a couple with the rest of the world...with friends, family...in exclusion of the filmmaker's quest. In this sense it seems documentary and dramatic cinema now have a marriage out there but in Hollywood it's still going to be a hard balance act to sell.


okay, now i'm giving Ebert (& dead Siskel) his job back

Happy Monday.

Amanda