Shortcomings – A Joyfully Obnoxious Romcom

Premiering at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and earning a nomination for the Grand Jury Dramatic Prize, Shortcomings, the feature directorial debut of actor Randall Park, definitely has a lot to say. Based on the graphic novel by Adrian Tomine, who also wrote the script, the film is arguably more focused on what it wants to say than the characters it uses to say it. Whether or not it all lands fully depends on the willingness of audiences to get behind its characters who may rub some the wrong way. They are definitely on the obnoxious side but in spite of that, the film is still a blast to watch thanks to the strong chemistry of its three leads, Justin H. Min, Sherry Cola, and Ally Maki, particularly the first two who often steal the show. That being said, however fun they may be to watch, the three are mostly vehicles for the film’s commentary on society, pop culture, and gender and race dynamics. Though the film has plenty of funny and heartfelt moments, running at a mere 92-minutes, the film’s surface level character development is ultimately its biggest shortcoming. Nevertheless, Park shows vision and definitely knows how to handle actors.

Shortcomings follows a Japanese-American struggling filmmaker named Ben (Min) who also works as an indie theater manager in Berkely, California. Living with his girlfriend Miko (Maki), he spent most of his time being the de facto gatekeeper of taste when it came to film whether everyone else around him liked it or not. He had opinions and was not shy about sharing them which often had him at odds with his friends and significant others. Therefore, he could come off as kind of an asshole to some but that’s kind of the point. In a way, this different perspective allows the film to depict the usual tropes audiences have come to expect in interesting ways with humor as the film seems to revel in Ben’s misery. Though he loves Miko, as they found themselves constantly arguing and their relationship on the rocks, she is given the opportunity for an internship in New York City. Broken up and left to his own devices proved to perhaps not be the best for Ben. However, he still had his boisterous Lesbian best friend Alice (Cola). Providing the film some much-needed energy and offering most of the funniest lines, their relationship was truly the heart of the film and the source of its best moments.

In the end, the story was about characters searching for connection. Ben’s wandering eye for white women is what led to his issues with Miko and now, he was left surrounded by analogues for his temptation. Meanwhile, losing Alice to New York City as well made things even tougher for him. Fumbling his way from relationship to relationship, one can’t help but wonder if Ben could change or be redeemed but that wasn’t the point. Not rooting his arc in anything deeper and relying on wit, eccentricity, and a sarcastic edge to get by may resonate with some audiences, though it could also be limiting, especially for those who can’t connect with Ben. Instead of being a more meaningful character study, the film is more interested in delivering snappy commentary. Arguably, the only thing that made Ben, Alice, and Miko interesting was their relationship with one another. And that relationship was put to the test as all three inevitably made their way to New York City. As everyone else grew up and move on with their lives, Ben had to learn to do the same. Subverting those tried and true romcom tropes, that process wasn’t necessarily as simple as it sounds and the epitome of Park’s vision.

The best part of Shortcomings was its cast and strong chemistry. Min, Cola, and Maki are a blast to watch as Ben, Alice, and Miko. The film may be lacking some depth but there is more than enough entertainment in watching the characters play off of each other. Out of the three, Min’s Ben was easily the standout, showing some range as he finds just the right balance juggling between his complicated and borderline unlikable exterior and his discomforts and insecurities below the surface. Unfortunately, audiences are left at arm’s length of what is beneath the surface. Initially the comic relief, there was much more to Cola’s Alice. Not only was she hilarious but essentially her evolution to the moral center was a compelling arc that gave her some depth to show some range. Feeling like a plot device more so than a character, Maki was underutilized. However, she made an impact with the time she had.

At the end of the day, Shortcomings shows some vision in trying to take the romcom genre in a different direction but the way it goes about it will not work for everyone.

still courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.