Shortcomings

I recently watched "Joy Ride" (2023) which I had heard great things about - a feature film with Asian leads being touted as the next "Bridesmaids." It was raunchy and pretty much unfunny. Quite frankly, it was dumb and disappointing. However it did explore interesting material - what it's like to be Asian growing up in a white society. If you want to see one of the best films of the year about this, please watch "Riceboy Sleeps." So what does all this have to do with "Shortcomings?" Well it has three Asian leads and it's about living, working, and dating within a white culture; oh, and this film, well it's brilliant and funny. This little indie picture stars, Justin H. Min as Ben, a late twenties/early thirties Asian man who has fading dreams of being a film maker while he continues to toil away working at an independent movie theatre as the manager. The film starts off with Ben attending an Asian film festival with his girlfriend, Miko (Ally Maki) watching what would be the equivalent of "Joy Ride" - a dumb mainstream movie to appeal to the masses. Ben's high-art snobbery is a problem for Miko (that and Ben's "thing" for white girls) and it marks the beginning of the end of their relationship. "Shortcomings" is honest, clever, and well made. If you are looking for a dramady, then please catch Randall Park's smart film at your local rep theatre or on streaming services when it becomes available.