*This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.*

Randall Park makes his feature directorial debut with an adaptation of Adrian Tomine’s Shortcomings. With a screenplay by Tomine, the film centers on Ben (Justin H. Min) and Miko (Ally Maki), who take a temporary break after their relationship falters. Miko moves to New York for a three-month internship, while Ben manages his theater with his co-workers Gene (Jacob Batalon), Lamont (Scott Seiss), and Autumn (Tavi Gevinson), the latter he recently hired. 

Within a few minutes, it’s clear that Park posits Ben as being extremely obnoxious. If you’ve ever studied film or have a close-knit group of cinephile friends; he would be the perfect representation of any “arbiter of taste filmbro” who believe their knowledge of film history and personal tastes in cinema are far superior to the masses who eat up commercial pieces of claptrap (god, his Letterboxd account must be insufferable). This opinionated persona starts to get on Miko’s nerves because you never know when Ben is joking and when he’s being sincere with her and his best friend, Alice (Sherry Cola). 

Shortcomings’ Protagonist Is Obnoxious, But The Film Works Because of This

Park presents this plotline as the catalyst for Ben’s journey of self-discovery; but he doesn’t necessarily question his belief and personality. Instead, he starts to feel for Autumn, a performance artist with a very particular outlook on what she perceives as art, and Sasha (Debby Ryan), one of Alice’s friends he meets at a party. As great as Gevinson and Ryan are in their respective roles, they’re, unfortunately, the film’s weakest part, with their characters being amazingly underwritten and developed. It doesn’t help that the two have similar arcs in how Ben interacts with them, though some will argue that Park wants to show a recurring theme in Ben’s treatment of these women versus Miko. 

Ben isn’t a good guy, no matter who he’s with. He acknowledges it but never recognizes it as a core problem or is interested in fixing the inner demons he seemingly lives with. This makes for an incredibly toxic protagonist and a massive audience attachment challenge. However, Min portrays him so well that we quickly get interested in his path, even if we cringe at his attitude, outlook on cinema, and how he consistently objectifies anyone he talks to. When Ben eventually goes to New York to find out what happened to Miko after she ignores his phone calls, we ultimately root for him to win her back, even if we know that, if this happens, they won’t be happy together. 

Justin H. Min Delivers a Knockout Performance with Sherry Cola

He shares great chemistry with Cola’s Alice, who is two-for-two in breakout performances after the incredible Joy Ride. Funnily enough, Stephanie Hsu, Ronny Chieng, and Timothy Simons, who also starred in that movie, appear in Shortcomings. They all make the most out of their limited screen time through minor roles. Min and Cola seem to have tons of fun together. It’s the main reason why the film works so well. Every time they’re paired together, the film quickly blossoms. It’s a consistent laugh riot as soon as they open their mouths. Their personalities couldn’t be more different, but the two consistently find converging points where they can connect; which pales compared to when Ben interacts with anyone else. 

And it’s because of their bond we get invested in the story from beginning to end, as much as Park and Tomine make it difficult for audiences to relate to Ben’s plight and journey. Like Uncut Gems’ Howard Ratner, Ben doesn’t change from the moment we meet him to the film’s final shot, but maybe he learned something about life that will set him on the right track to success. Park may have thought this was an unimportant part of the character’s life to tackle, and he instead focuses on Ben at a lower-than-low position. He’s already a bad person, but what if he were worse than normal? That’s the challenge that awaits you as you discover Shortcomings. Don’t worry; it’s very funny and sets up Park as a terrific force behind the camera, and one that will hopefully make more movies to flex his director muscles further.

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