CHICAGO – There is no better time to take in a stage play that is based in U.S. history, depicting the battle between fact and religion. The old theater chestnut – first mounted in 1955 – is “Inherit the Wind,” now at the Goodman Theatre, completing it’s short run through October 20th. For tickets and more information, click INHERIT.
DVD Review: ‘Paper Heart’ Intriguingly Blurs Line Between Reality, Fiction
CHICAGO – Some actors are so good that it’s easy to take their work for granted. Take Michael Cera, the veteran child actor-turned-unlikely teen heartthrob. From his breakout work in “Arrested Development,” to his crowd-pleasing performances in “Superbad” and “Juno,” Cera has created a comic persona as indelible as Woody Allen’s.
The sweetly neurotic vulnerability he exudes is so authentic, it’s easy for audiences to confuse the actor with the characters he regularly portrays. Is he a brilliant actor, or is he simply playing himself (which itself is no easy feat)? Such questions lie at the deceptive heart of Nicholas Jasenovec’s intriguing and infuriating romantic comedy.
DVD Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
“Paper Heart” purports itself to be documentary about one young woman’s quest to discover the nature of love. The woman is Charlyne Yi, a comedian and performance artist not unlike Cera (she’s best known for her scene-stealing cameo as a pothead in “Knocked Up”). She’s also equipped with an impenetrable persona that evokes the giggly spirit of a wide-eyed girl who refuses to grow up. The film, which Yi also co-wrote and executive produced, is infused with a childlike sensibility, epitomized by the hand-crafted puppets used to illustrate “real life” stories of love. These stories come from ordinary people Yi meets on her cross-country road trip, accompanied by her film crew. She doesn’t interview these people so much as react to them, and often just seems ill-at-ease.
Charlyne Yi searches for love in Paper Heart.
Photo credit: Anchor Bay Entertainment
In a parallel storyline, Yi encounters a man after her own heart, Michael Cera. He falls for her the instant he spots her at a party, and their subsequent dates feel blatantly staged. Both actors seem incapable of being on-camera without hiding behind their comfortable personas. How can they ever really know each other if they spend all their time “acting”? The constant presence of the creepily invasive filmmaking crew begins to take a toll on the relationship, yet there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of chemistry between Yi and Cera anyway. Their alleged offscreen relationship was revealed to be a hoax around the time of “Paper Heart’”s theatrical release (which may have caused its initial failure to connect with audiences).
Paper Heart was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on December 1st, 2009. Photo credit: Anchor Bay Entertainment |
By MATT FAGERHOLM |