‘Shortcomings’ Asks: Can the Most Irritating Man on Earth Lead an Entire Movie?
Ben (Justin H. Min) could’ve been the next Eric Rohmer. He’s certainly got the ego for it. But instead, the wannabe big-shot director is channeling his loudmouthed energy into a less-desired job: manager at a tiny arts theater in Berkeley, California. It’s no Hollywood—but at least he gets to watch movies for free.
Shortcomings, Fresh Off the Boat star Randall Park’s directorial debut (and based on the graphic novel by Adrian Tomine), opens on the perfect portrait of Ben’s asshole tendencies. Ben can’t stop complaining about a movie he just saw with his way-too-cool girlfriend, Miko (Ally Maki), who didn’t mind the film all that much. The movie, Ben argues, is a lazy attempt at Asian representation—a man (Ronny Chieng) and a woman (Stephanie Hsu) try to buy a penthouse, but a racist front desk worker denies their application. Surprise! The pair actually owns the entire apartment building. The racist man is fired; the couple celebrates; roll credits. Miko enjoyed the film. Ben won’t quit while he’s ahead, continually trashing the audience for cheering over a bad film simply because it featured Asian representation.
This is, in essence, the gist of Shortcomings, a slow-paced indie comedy about a thirtysomething slacker who can’t be anything other than cynical about his sad life. Shortcomings, however, offers a slight twist on the idle couch-loafing character: As a young Asian man, Ben struggles to fully embrace his racial identity. He has an Asian girlfriend, but he can’t stop watching porn featuring white girls. Ben has the hots for the white girl he just hired at the theater, Autumn (Tavi Gevinson), an awkward germaphobe with a godawful band. Plus, as an aspiring filmmaker who prefers the works of John Cassavetes and Rohmer, Ben grapples with the absence of people who look like him—or rather, people who look like him and have storylines that feel realistic—in cinema.