“Shortcomings” is the directorial debut by actor Randall Park, and follows a struggling wannabe filmmaker (Justin H. Min) who has to deal with his personal issues after his long-term girlfriend (Ally Maki) moves cross the country for an internship. Sherry Cola, Debby Ryan, Tavi Gevinson, Sonoya Mizuno, Jacob Batalon, and Timothy Simons also star.

I really like Randall Park as an actor, I feel he has great comedic timing and a good sense about him, and I’m always glad when he pops up in things. Directorial debuts can be tricky, because while sometimes you’ll get a gem like Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” or Sam Mendes’ “American Beauty,” they can often very much *feel* like a directorial debut (aimless plots, actors showing up for two scenes as a favor to the director, etc). So while I was looking forward to seeing what Park could do behind the camera, I also wasn’t setting my expectations too high simply because it was a debut. And while “Shortcomings” certainly has some of its titular flaws, it is also a sweet, funny movie that works.

As the lead, Justin H. Min has some great dry and deprecating comedic timing, but also is able to carry the dramatic scenes when he has to. His Ben is cynical but also caring about his friends, and he plays well off of Sherry Cola, his best friend (who has a few good deliveries of her own, basically playing a similar role as she did in “Joy Ride”).

The script by Adrian Tomine is funny, with several bits about movies that made me chuckle (if someone says they like auteur directors, they mean Christopher Nolan). Tomine is a cartoonist by trade (this is based on his own graphic novel), so even at 92 minutes he does start to run out of fumes by the end of the film, but overall the film has a pretty nice energy and vibes about it.

“Shortcomings” doesn’t try to redefine the genre or say anything new (it does both advocate for and also mock the idea of inclusion in pop culture; most of it works, some of it is on-the-nose), but it is a welcome little rom-com. I look forward to seeing more from what Min and Park can do in the future, and at the end of the day that’s all you can really want to come away thinking from a small movie.

Critics Rating: 7/10