Shortcomings review: Randall Park deconstructs Western media as we know it in directorial debut

The past few years have seen a rise in Asian-American filmmakers on the indie scene. Fresh Off the Boat star Randall Park's directorial debut, Shortcomings, deconstructs Western media as we know it in a film that pulls no punches with its lead character but doesn't give itself enough time to ice the bruises.

Shortcomings review

Filmmakers like Justin Chon are able to tell Asian-American stories with a rugged perspective. Films like Gook and even Blue Bayou (which followed a Korean adoptee in Southern America) show Asians trying to find their American Dream. There's a certain grittiness with each of his features that he perfectly captures. Park, a Los Angeles native, provides an urban and cosmopolitan Asian-American perspective. Neither is better than the other, but it's refreshing to see the latter represented.

Shortcomings, based on Adrian Tomine's graphic novel of the same name, tells the story of Ben (Justin H. Min) — the owner of a small movie theater. Business is far from booming, and he seems oddly content with this day-to-day. His partner, Miko (Ally Maki), is interested in film as well and is offered an internship position that would get her foot in the door. The catch? It's in New York City, and Ben hates the idea of her moving there.

But it's not the fact that his partner would be moving across the country for three months that bothers him — it's that she won't be right under his thumb for three months. Ben's a complicated figure who struggles with his own Asian-American identity (a theme also shared with Joy Ride). He constantly uses racism and the fetishism of Asian Americans as a crux for being cold and distant.

This is also a film that is quick to call out and put a “garish mainstream rom-com” like Crazy Rich Asians on blast. It's funny because Crazy Rich Asians was an uber-successful rom-com that put Asian cinema on display for domestic moviegoers. Granted, it very much fit itself into the archetypes presented in Western cinema in the rom-coms of the past, but Asian representation of any kind in film in 2018 was a gigantic leap forward.

Shortcomings doesn't put the same rose-colored lenses on its main character, Ben (which works to its benefit). While some American movies and TV shows are quick to let their crappy husbands off the hook — Kevin James and Ray Romano made careers out of these types of characters — Ben is left out to dry. You do want to root for him in the early goings of Shortcomings, but you quickly realize how insufferable he can be. That's a testament to Min's performance as he's equally effective in his monologues as he is somewhat charming. (After all, we have to remember that his character lands someone like Maki in the first place)

While Ben believes there's some grand conspiracy against Asian Americans in America, the reality of his situation can be seen on the walls of his movie theater. In one shot in Shortcomings, you can spot the posters of Emily the Criminal and 2011's The Future. While these films are over a decade apart from one another, both deal with characters in their 30s who are just floating about in life. Ben has main character syndrome but fails to acknowledge that's currently plateauing because of his own doings.

Ultimately, Shortcomings is also a film that presents exactly what it promises in its title — it's about Ben's shortcomings. His main character arc, at least as far as he thinks, is about him finding love. Little does he know, he's merely a stepping stone in the growth of every woman he encounters in the film and comes up short in the journey he thinks he's on. He drives Miko away, but there are other females Ben encounters in the film.

There's Autumn (Tavi Gevinson), the newest employee hired at Ben's movie theater. A young hipster with hopes of opening an art exhibit of her collection of morning pee photos (she calls it “e-piss-temology”). Oh, and she's into the performing arts and puts on a show that can best be described as having the spunk of David Bowie (think Ziggy Stardust-era) and the musical capabilities of Yoko Ono. Anyways, Ben first attempts to get with Autumn to no avail.

Then there's Sasha (Debby Ryan), a young woman he meets at a house party. The two actually advance quite far in their limited time together, but for one reason or another, it doesn't work out. Ben's insecurity about being Asian and dating a white woman ends up ruining what could have been a sweet relationship. Lastly, there's Ben's best friend, Alice (Sherry Cola). While she shares Ben's sense of humor, she realizes she has to grow in order to find love and grow up.

All of these women are shown at the end of Shortcomings making the progress necessary while Ben is only just having his epiphany. As he sits on the San Fransisco waterfront, he reflects on the past few months of his life. While it's the appropriate ending for a character like Ben — and his last scene with Miko really shows the maturity he's slowly learning — it comes a little bit too late in the film to fully land with its full potential. Standing at just 92 minutes, the perfect runtime for films, Shortcomings is a case of needing 10 or so more minutes once Ben realizes the error of his ways to land with full impact.

In many other areas, Adrian Tomine's script works. After all, he did write the graphic novel the film is based on, so he has a greater understanding than anyone with the source material. Even still, it's not always a seamless transition from page to screen, especially when the original author is writing the film adaptation. It has surely been updated, too, as there are references to recent MCU films — projects that both Park and one of the film's stars, Jacob Batalon, know plenty about.

Tomine also captures the artsy conversations you will overhear at any film festival. Early on in the film, Ben and Miko attend a festival screening of a new Asian film (one that features great cameos from Stephanie Hsu and Ronny Chieng) and discuss it after the film. The conversations heard sound straight out of a film class, and Tomine finds ways to subtly nod at other filmmakers with references to Snowpiercer. Posters for films from the aforementioned Justin Chon can be seen in the background of some shots, and Ben watches classic cinema like The 400 Blows throughout the film.

Should you watch Shortcomings? 

Randall Park's directorial debut Shortcomings is a complete deconstruction of Western media and what's expected of romantic films, but for as fierce as it is to tackle those themes, the film ultimately comes up a bit short despite fantastic performances (specifically from Justin H. Min, who portrays the unlikable main character most would avoid like the plague). The biggest crime the film commits against itself is that it doesn't give itself enough time to land with the intended impact. For a directorial debut, this is great and Park will only continue to grow with each feature. Hopefully, he intends to retain the specific identity Shortcomings puts on display.

Grade: C+

Shortcomings will be released on Aug. 4.