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Film Review: SHORTCOMINGS: Randall Park’s Hilarious Dramedy is an Entertaining, Well Acted Little Gem [Sundance 2023]

Justin H Min Sherry Cola Shortcomings

Shortcomings Review

Shortcomings (2023) Film Review from the 46th Annual Sundance Film Festival, a movie directed by Randall Park, written by Adrian Tomine and starring Justin H. Min, Sherry Cola, Ally Maki, Tavi Gevinson, Debby Ryan, Sonoya Mizuno, Timothy Simons, Jacob Batalan, Theo Iyer, Scott Seiss, Borah Ahn, Amy Pham, Sheldon Best, Mike Cabellon, David Niu, George Delhi Jr. and Melanie J. Newby.

In Shortcomings, director Randall Park brings a modern day story to the screen with both comic and dramatic touches throughout. There are plenty of moments in the picture which ring true to life and make the movie score points in terms of being believable enough to enjoy. It is the cast, however, that makes Shortcomings so easy to like. Park’s film is full of charismatic performers who will make the viewer become invested in the material it presents to the viewer.

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Justin H. Min stars in the movie as an Asian-American movie theater manager named Ben whose girlfriend, Miko (Ally Maki), ends up taking a break from their relationship. Ben is ambitious but has to make ends meet. He has two male workers at his theater who mind the concession stand, played hysterically by Jacob Batalan and Scott Seiss. Ben must learn to navigate his needs, desires and career goals as he works a seemingly unrewarding job. He tries to figure out if his attraction to “white girls” is something that will hold him back from discovering true love or, perhaps, maybe Ben just shares too much of what he thinks with others. It doesn’t help that Ben leaves his computer open to a porn site which is unhappily discovered by Miko.

Ben hires a girl named Autumn (Tavi Gevinson) to work at the theater. She is full of artistic ambitions and dabbles in performance art on the side. When Ben tries to kiss Autumn after a night out, things don’t go too well. Autumn believes the body makes better choices than the mind when choosing potential lovers. It doesn’t seem her body is choosing Ben.

When Miko is headed to New York in order to pursue her professional endeavors, the film’s main story kicks into motion. That scenario opens up a widow of opportunity for Ben to pursue a “white girl” he meets at a party he attends with his gay best friend, Alice (the always terrific Sherry Cola of “Good Trouble”). This girl is named Sasha and is played by Debby Ryan with tremendous zest in one of the movie’s best performances. Ryan is extremely likable and her scenes with Min give us hope that Ben can, indeed, learn to love someone for more than their outer appearance.

Alice’s conversations with Ben are one of Shortcomings‘ best attributes. Sherry Cola is, as usual, entertaining to watch and we believe the bond she has with Ben here. When Cola’s Alice begins to date Meredith (the fabulous Sonoya Mizuno), the opportunity arises for Ben to get answers in regards to his former relationship with Miko as he crashes on Meredith’s couch. The problem is that Ben is his own worst enemy and has opinions that anger Meredith considerably. Will Ben come in-between Meredith and Alice’s blossoming relationship by his poor choices of conversation topics?

Another one of the great delights of Shortcomings is the use of its movie theater location in the earlier scenes of the movie. This theater is actually the Cinemart Cinemas in Forest Hills, Queens, New York. The theater becomes its own character in the movie. In fact, Ben tries to get Sasha to come by the theater and see him at work with the enticing promise of free popcorn which Alice seems to find awkwardly funny.

Justin H. Min and Ally Maki have some superb dramatic scenes together in the latter part of the film. Miko confronts Ben about his disappointing behavior regarding their relationship when Ben shows up with aggressive hostility towards her new boyfriend (Timothy Simons). Min and Maki have an excellent dialogue exchange in one of the most powerful scenes in the picture. While the movie has been funny for the most part, this scene comes as a wake-up call regarding the character of Ben.

Shortcomings is a surprising movie rarity. It’s a picture that pains a portrait of everyday characters who are trying to get through life while pursuing their true ambitions in life—both personal and professional. Min plays a flawed character in a relatable way so we are always following him whether we agree with his ideals or not. It may also be fun to note that Stephanie Hsu has a quick and funny scene right at the beginning of Shortcomings as a character in a movie within the movie.

While Shortcomings is not perfect (the conclusion is too open ended, and there are gaps in logic in terms of Ben’s ways of thinking), the picture is tremendously watchable with characters who will keep the audience’s attention at all times. It’s worth seeing for the terrific performances and fun slice-of-life moments that the movie generously provides.

Rating: 7.5/10

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Thomas Duffy

Thomas Duffy is a graduate of the Pace University New York City campus and has been an avid movie fan all of his life. In college, he interviewed film stars such as Minnie Driver and Richard Dreyfuss as well as directors such as Tom DiCillo and Mark Waters. He is the author of nine works of fiction available on Amazon. He's been reviewing movies since his childhood and posts his opinions on social media. You can follow him on Twitter. His user handle is @auctionguy28.
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