Shortcomings

August 2nd, 2023

MOVIE: SHORTCOMINGS

STARRING: JUSTIN H. MIN, SHERRY COLA, ALLY MAKI, DEBBY RYAN

DIRECTED BY: RANDALL PARK

AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 3 STARS (Out of 4)

When it comes to romcoms or just movies for adults about adult relationships, the options can be relatively scarce. The directorial debut for fantastic character actor Randall Park is quite an impressive first run. It’s not just impressive because it’s competently made or has great performances, but because it feels like Park has achieved a tough accomplishment. He’s made a movie about people that can be jerks. People you might not want to spend time with or even care if they find love and yet, he makes us care. That’s because Shortcomings is about the messy stuff of relationships and there is not always going to be a happy ending.

Ben (Justin H. Min) and Miko (Ally Maki) are an Asian American couple in their late 20s, living in the Bay area of California, and approaching a point in their relationship where marriage is the next step. Ben is a frustrated writer that manages a movie theater as a day job. Miko is a producer, who works on big-budget films and has bigger aspirations in life. The third wheel is Ben’s best friend Alice (Sherry Cola), someone who can always commiserate with Ben, as he was always her cover-up for telling her parents that she’s gay. Each character is uniquely drawn and all three share in their different complexities about love and dating.

The reality is that Ben can be a big jerk, unable to get out of his own way with his problems about stereotyped Asian culture, a movie snob, and unwilling to compromise with Miko. When Miko is offered an internship to work on a film in New York, she jumps at the opportunity, and by doing so puts the relationship on a break. During this time we see Ben start to open himself up, meeting a few new women, and even falling for Alice’s friend Sasha (Debby Ryan). As both Ben and Alice navigate their love lives, there begins to be a realization that maybe the break was a wrong idea, and as Alice starts to find love, that leaves Ben on the outside with nobody to console him.

From a first feature standpoint Shortcomings is incredibly impressive. Park is able to blend the humor, along with constructive conversation, and a youthful energy that is missing these days. The screenplay from Adrian Tomine is whip-crack smart and walks the line of having characters that are complex. There is a Nora Ephron or Noah Baumbach approach to the story, but unlike You’ve Got Mail or Marriage Story, Park is not asking for us to choose a side nor will he give us an answer we want. Some may love the end of Shortcomings. Some may hate it. I landed on the side of finding it just right.

What could have been a standard rom-com, instead we get in a movie such as this, where the viewer will feel just as conflicted as the characters. Shortcomings is a surprising delight with some miserable characters. It’s an impressive performance from Justin H. Min that rises above and it’s more great supporting work from Sherry Cola, who became the standout in Joy Ride, but here she proves her versatility. The bottom line is that Shortcomings is smart, funny, and everything in between. It lands right on the mark.

SHORTCOMINGS IS PLAYING IN SELECT THEATERS FRIDAY AUGUST 4TH, 2023.

3 STARS

Written by: Leo Brady
leo@amovieguy.com