"Shortcomings" - Film Review
Shortcomings is the directorial debut of Fresh Off the Boat’s Randall Park. It’s adapted from Adrian Tomine’s graphic novel of the same name and centers on Ben (Justin H. Min). He’s a film lover working at a crappy, rundown movie theatre that has almost no attendees. His girlfriend, Miko (Ally Maki), works at the Berkeley-area Asian American film festival. When he’s not at work or with Miko, he’s spending time in diners with Alice (Sherry Cola), his queer best friend who’s attending grad school. Ben loves living in Berkeley and has no desire to ever move out of the area, but Miko does. She was offered an internship with an Asian American film festival in New York City and will be moving there, with or without Ben. Now, left alone in Berkeley, Ben tries to reinvent himself as a kind-of single guy.
Does a film’s main character need to be “good” in order for the movie to be worth watching? With the rise of the anti-hero genre of pop culture, this question feels ever-present. Is likability necessary? As with all matters of opinion, the answer comes down to the individual. Personally, a character doesn’t have to have a perfect moral compass to be compelling, but work must be done to explain why they’re like this. The script doesn’t have to lay out all the information about a character’s psyche to make them worthy of center stage, but there has to be enough to explain why they’re acting in the manner they are. Breaking Bad’s Walter White is perhaps the most commonly referenced anti-hero in modern pop culture. While the audience might not agree fully with his actions, they understand why Walter does what he does.
Photo credit: Jon-Pack; Courtesy of SonyPictures
Most of the plot of Shortcomings is told through Ben’s point of view. When the audience gets its first glimpse of Ben he’s frowning, and that’s a perfect summation of his essence. Ben has an immediate, strong reaction to Miko’s internship opportunity in New York. He says it’s overrated and too gentrified, an odd statement coming from someone living in Berkeley. Miko counters, asking how many times he’s been to New York. Ben asks if layovers are included, to which Miko replies of course not, then Ben says it ultimately doesn’t matter how many times he’s been there, New York sucks. There’s unlikable and then there’s infuriating. Ben immediately comes across as the kind of guy in your entry-level film class who thinks he’s smarter than the professor and everyone in the class. If nothing else, Ben’s rude to a waiter, which tells you everything you need to know about him. He’s rude to his girlfriend and strangers, only exhibiting interest if he finds a person attractive. There’s no purpose behind Ben’s standoffish attitude, no reason that he acts in such a disparaging manner except that he thinks so highly of himself, which is not the type of person many would elect to spend time with.
Perhaps he wouldn’t come across as such a wet blanket if Shortcomings’ focus was shifted to Alice. Her character feels more nuanced and compelling, but the audience doesn’t get to spend nearly enough time with her. She’s Ben’s second fiddle and his voice of reason. While she’s not the shining beacon of moral correctness, Alice is at least able to feel compassion for strangers. Between Shortcomings and Joy Ride, Cola is quietly making a name for herself, and this is surely the beginning of a long career. Those of us lucky enough to have seen her perform stand-up in dimly lit comedy clubs in Los Angeles long ago know that this success has always been simply a matter of time.
Photo credit: Jon-Pack; Courtesy of SonyPictures
Shortcomings bills itself as a dramatic romantic comedy, but never manages to fit into any of the molds of this genre. That’s not to say that it has to fit into a neat package in order to be a successful film, but Shortcomings isn’t as humorous or romantic as it should be. There’s plenty of drama, but it’s shallow and the result of Ben’s pessimistic, self-indulgent, and self-centered actions. In the film’s final moments, he’s supposed to have a change of heart, but given everything the audience has seen leading up to that moment, it’s an impossible-to-believe ending.
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