I go to the movies a lot. I’m sure there are people who go more often than me, but I certainly go more than the average person. I have a membership that allows me to set up to 3 movies a week and I make quite the attempt to get my money’s worth. As such, I find myself watching movies in theaters that I don’t know much about sometimes. Shortcomings was one of those movies, but now I am in love and want to share that love with as many people as possible.
At its core, Shortcomings is a story about being afraid of change, and the harm that can do not only to yourself but the people around you. Ben (Justin H. Min) is an overly snarky twenty-something college dropout living in California who manages a run-down movie theater while claiming to really be a screenwriter, despite rarely if ever doing any screenwriting. When his girlfriend Miko (Ally Maki) gets an internship in New York, she proposes they take a break from seeing each other, as their relationship has been strained as of late. This break presents Ben an opportunity to reflect on the way he leads his life and make a change for the better. He does not take the opportunity.
No instead he immediately finds himself in pursuit of multiple white, blonde women, which multiple characters throughout the film note as being his type, despite his girlfriend and himself being Asian. Both new theater employee Autumn (Tavi Gevinson) and Sasha (Debby Ryan), a woman he meets at a party, become potential romantic interests for Ben, as he refuses to divert from the same behaviors that seemingly tanked his previous relationship.
If dealing with a main character like this sounds grating, I don’t blame you. Yet there is also something fascinating about watching someone make essentially the same mistakes over and over, somehow continuously refusing to learn his lesson. As well, the film takes great pleasure in pointing out how shitty Ben is, often in ways that produce some genuinely hilarious moments. When I saw this film there were only about ten people in the theater but we all were laughing so much it almost sounded packed.
But if any member of the cast deserves to be praised for comedic timing, as well as overall performance, it’s Sherry Cola for her portrayal of Ben’s best friend since school, Alice. The “we’re both terrible people and okay with it” dynamic between the two is both relatable and funny, as the two share observations about their lives that are skewed in such an obvious way they can’t possibly be taken seriously. And when Alice begins to slowly but surely get her life together and contemplate change, Ben is indicted even further for being unable to.
Walking into Shortcomings, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But I found a funny, heartfelt movie, with a plot that ends up going in directions you may not expect. Watching Ben’s interactions with the world and people around him can feel more than a bit cringey and hard to watch at points, but that’s only because it's a situation we’ve all been in on at least one end. I’m unsure how much longer it will be in theaters, but try and check it out whenever you can.