![]() ![]() Is representation alone enough to merit recommendation? Not for a cinema monk like Ben: a film school dropout who sleepwalks through a job managing a failing arthouse movie theater and stays up all night watching Criterion Collection Blu-rays on the couch despite his gorgeous girlfriend begging him to come to bed. Miko and her film festival pals are celebrating what a breakthrough it is to see people like themselves onscreen in a glossy Hollywood product, whereas bitter Ben would rather have his experiences reflected in a movie that’s actually, you know, good. ![]() Our protagonist’s inability to keep a contrary opinion to himself sours the afterparty and embarrasses Ben’s longtime live-in girlfriend, Miko (Ally Maki), re-igniting what appears to be a fairly frequent feud between the two about Asian representation in media. This movie within a movie unspools at a fictionalized Bay Area Asian American Film Festival to a rhapsodic ovation from everyone in the audience. The directorial debut of “Fresh Off the Boat” star Randall Park starts with a savage parody of “Crazy Rich Asians,” featuring that film’s co-star Ronny Chieng and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu skewering the surprise 2018 blockbuster’s triumphalist wealth fantasies. (Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics Photo by Jon Pack) ![]() Facebook Email Justin Min as Ben and Sherry Cola as Alice in "Shortcomings." ![]()
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