Shortcomings

The film opens with an aspiring (well, not really) filmmaker looking down on a film created by other Asian Americans. At first I took it as a shot at some recently-made films starring asian Americans, but as the film went on I wondered if the commentary was more about the character than those movies (I suspect both). While this movie ventured down some heavily-travelled paths, I thought it had a fresh take on the genre. In a lot of ways it reminded me of High Fidelity, and that is indeed high praise. Like that movie, there was comic relief but not at the expense of the bigger story. A lesser film would have made Sherry Cola into the stereotypical friend that says and does all kinds of crazy things. One of the main character's observations while watching the film at the beginning of the movie is that there was no character development. In this movie, we saw it in spades.

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Good movie. Great acting. A MUST WATCH!

Shortcomings is a thoughtful, witty addition to the Asian American cinematic canon, perfect for fans of character studies like The Big Sick or Frances Ha. While its introspective nature may not cater to all, its honest portrayal of growth through failure resonates. Park’s debut marks him as a director to watch, unafraid to tackle uncomfortable truths with humor and heart.

I was expecting it to be better

I appreciate an unlikable character but this movie is so on the nose it is insufferable.

If your social media is anything like mine, you haven’t even heard of this movie because of Barbenheimer’s success and Haunted Mansion’s flop - and that’s a shame. This is a really well-written movie that follows a sort of slow-motion wreck of a relationship and someone coming to terms with their own flaws. There are a couple of sporadic moments of disengenuity in a few of the performances, but it’s funny, and the couple’s arguments are so naturally written that it almost feels invasive to watch them happen. If you can find a showing of this one, check it out while you can! It probably won’t be around for long.