Paper Heart Blu-ray Review

Winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, Paper Heart is intriguing and original documentary story about Charlyne Yi, a real life actress who does not believe in love.  The film is available on Blu-ray for the first time December 1st from Starz and Anchor Bay Entertainment

Directed by Yi’s real life friend and Nicholas Jasenovec, is an exploratory documentary in which Yi attempts to determine once and for all whether yer skepticism toward modern day love is well-founded.  Yi travels the country, and even beyond, as she talks with friends, strangers, scientists, bikers, romance novelists, and children to figure out the reality of love’s mystery.

In the process of making Paper Heart, Yi finds her own prospective mate when she meets actor Michael Cera (Jun0) at a party.  They end up developing a relationship on camera, which effectively makes Cera the co-star of this documentary about love.  The question becomes, can Yi look past her skeptical making of a movie about love in order to see if it is staring her right in the face.

Paper Heart appears to be an interesting movie concept featuring two talented, though usually less standout, actors in a real life story made for film.  Unfortunately, Paper Heart tends to drag on with a series of monotonous encounters with very little pizazz.

The real conflict in making Paper Heart an entertainment masterpiece is that its central players are both stellar supporting players in their typical movie roles.  Yi and Cera are both interesting in bits, but not as appealing for one to be patient for an entire 88 minutes.  The central theme of the movie is Yi’s skeptical exploration of love.  There simply are few highs or standout moments in the film, despite some brief cameos from Seth Rogen, Martin Starr, and Derek Waters.

There are some nice special features in the Paper Heart Blu-ray, including:

• Paper Heart Uncut
• The Making of Paper Heart
• Live Musical Performances by Charlyne Yi
• “Heaven” Music Video by Charlyne Yi & Michael Cera
• Love Interviews with The Comedians
• Deleted Scenes
• Digital Copy of Paper Heart for Portable Media Players

• Actors: Charlyne Yi, Michael Cera, Seth Rogen, Martin Starr, Derek Waters
• Directors: Nicholas Jasenovec
• Format: Color, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
• Blu-ray Release Date: December 1, 2009
• Run Time: 88 minutes

Blu-ray Review by Neil of Movie Room Reviews

Tags: 2009 Sundance Film Festival, Charlyne Yi, Michael Cera, Paper Heart, Paper Heart Blu-ray, Paper Heart Blu-ray Review