SHORTCOMINGS – A Review by John Strange
I was interested in this film because Randall Park directed it. I never knew of the graphic novel, but the story seemed worthy of a watch.
I recently watched Joy Ride and thought I had seen some truly messed up individuals. Nah. But I have now.
Ben (Justin H. Min), his girlfriend Miko (Ally Maki), and his best friend Alice (Sherry Cola) form a, well, a really messed up bunch. And pretty much because Ben has the world’s worst attitude towards… pretty much everything except blonde, white girls.
Three lines pretty much sum up how I feel after watching this film. “Just because I’m a hypocrite, it doesn’t mean I’m wrong! (Alice)” and “Is this your rock bottom?” (Alice) “No, high school was my rock bottom.” (Ben)
This film made me feel bad for Ben (as I expected it to), but no matter what I saw, I never felt sorry for him. All of his pain is self-inflicted. I don’t feel the least conflicted giving this film 3 stars though it came VERY close to being 2.
Director: Randall Park
Cast: Justin H. Min, Sherry Cola, Ally Maki, Tavi Gevinson, Debby Ryan, Sonoya Mizuno, Timothy Simons, Jacob Batalon, Theo Iyer, Scott Seiss, Nikhaar Kishnani, Borah Ahn, Amy Pham, Sheldon Best, Mike Cabellon, David Niu, George Deihl Jr., Melanie J. Newby, Jess Nahikian, Adam Enright, Ronny Chieng, Stephanie Hsu, Daniel Hank, Randall Park
MPAA Rating: R (for language throughout, sexual material, and brief nudity)
Selig Rating: 3 Stars
Runtime: 92 Min.
Release Date: 08/04/2023
Local Release Locations: AMC The Parks At Arlington 18, Angelika Film Center & Café – Dallas, AMC NorthPark 15 (Dallas), AMC DINE-IN Stonebriar 24 (Frisco), Cinemark Rave Ridgmar 13 and XD (Fort Worth), AMC Firewheel 18 (Garland), AMC Grapevine Mills 24 (Grapevine), Cinemark Tinseltown Grapevine and XD (Grapevine)
Language: English
Movie Site: SHORTCOMINGS Official Site
Trailer: SHORTCOMINGS Trailer
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie/show, well worth the time and price.
4 Stars – Good movie/show
3 Stars – OK movie/show
2 Stars – Well, there was nothing else…
1 Star – Total waste of time.
