Shortcomings
Shortcomings
Follows a trio of young, Bay Area urbanites - Ben Tanaka, Miko Hayashi and Alice Lee -as they navigate a range of interpersonal relationships while traversing the country in search of the ideal connection.
Kevin Ward reviewedJuly 4, 2025
Impressive directorial debut from Randall Park with a razor sharp script from Adrian Tomine. Ben (Justin Min), an arthouse theater manager and insufferable culture snob finally pushes his girlfriend Miko (Ally Maki) beyond her limits with his constant snarky criticisms of art (including her own art and those of her friends). Miko decides to accept an internship in New York, leaving Ben and his friend Alice (Sherry Cola) to examine where Ben has gone wrong, his emotional defects—his shortcomings. Though this has rom com energy, I think it’s a disservice to the film if you go in expecting a rom com. Shortcomings explores themes of representation, racial identity and racial politics, but manages to do so with an excellent sense of humor. Plus as a former retail manager myself, I loved seeing Scott Seiss (Angry Retail Guy) — soon to be seen in Cocaine Bear as well. Worth checking out if this gets a distribution deal. Also, more Sonoya Mizuno in everything, please.