Shortcomings | 2023 | R | – 5.2.9

Why is “Shortcomings” rated R? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “language throughout, sexual material and brief nudity.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes non-sexual almost full male nudity, several kissing scenes and a couple of implied sex scenes, a computer screen with pornographic sites featured, many discussions of relationships and disagreements, a near physical fight, many arguments, a couple of slamming doors during arguments, many photos of urine-filled toilets, and nearly 50 F-words and other strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

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A man (Justin H. Min) and woman (Ally Maki) trying to find happiness discover that being together may not be the answer, and when one of them moves away, the other is left to explore other possibilities. Also with Sherry Cola, Tavi Gevinson, Debby Ryan, Sonoya Mizuno, Timothy Simons, Jacob Batalon, Theo Iyer, Scott Seiss and Nikhaar Kishnani. Directed by Randall Park. A few lines of dialogue are spoken in Korean without translation. [Running Time: 1:32]

Shortcomings SEX/NUDITY 5

 – A fully nude man is shown in a stage performance and his bare chest, abdomen, back, buttocks and legs are seen (no genital area is visible). A fully nude man walks into a room and bends over to look in a refrigerator (we see his bare back, buttocks, legs and a glimpse of his genitals between his legs). A woman confronts her boyfriend about his computer containing pornographic images and we see still shots of fully nude men and women in sexual positions (bare backs, buttocks, a man’s bare chest and abdomen, and the side of a woman’s breast are seen).
► A man and a woman go to his bedroom and kiss while lying on a bed; the man then removes his shirt (we see his bare chest and abdomen). After arguing in bed, a man and a woman kiss tenderly (sex is implied). A woman invites a man to bed (there’s a sexual implication) and he declines. Two women kiss and hug. A man asks a woman if he can kiss her and she tells him yes; they then kiss.
► A woman hugs a man. A man hugs a young man when he is introduced as his daughter’s boyfriend and is excited by the fact that his daughter is not gay. A man leans toward a woman to kiss her and she pulls away explaining that she is skittish around germs and bacteria. A man and a woman walk on a sidewalk and the man has his arm around the woman’s shoulders; the woman’s boyfriend watches from nearby and becomes upset. A woman throws a kiss to her boss over a security camera and he smiles. A man and woman flirt. A photo shows a woman kissing another woman on the cheek.
► A woman accuses a man of having the “hots for the new girl.” A woman tells a man, “I know your type.” Two women flirt and discuss going out together. Two men working in a movie theater seem smitten with a new employee and ask her questions. A remark is made about “hetero power dynamics.” A man makes a comment about “…while the cat’s away, the mouse will play.” A woman marvels at a man’s ability to “spin so much game, effortlessly.” People discuss dysfunctional long-term relationships.
► A woman wears a low-cut cropped top that reveals cleavage and bare abdomen. A woman wears a low-cut dress that reveals cleavage. We see photos of a woman posing suggestively (we see bare shoulders and cleavage).

Shortcomings VIOLENCE/GORE 2

 – A man charges across a street and yells at another man and a woman; he lunges toward the man and the other man strikes a martial arts pose, they argue and the other man leaves the first man with the woman and they continue arguing.
► A man becomes enraged when someone cuts him off on the highway. A man and a woman argue bitterly over the phone and she hangs up on him. A man yells at a woman when she tells him that she is going back to her ex.
► A man and a woman argue in bed (please see the Sex/Nudity category for more details). A man and a woman argue about the man’s “type.” A man accuses a woman saying, “You always assume the worst of me,” she yells at him and slams a door on him. A woman tells her boyfriend that she is going away for 3 months and that she is not inviting him to go with her.
► A woman says that she was kicked out of school for kicking another woman in the crotch (she uses a different anatomical term). A movie within the movie uses a remark that is racially insensitive toward an Asian woman when a character says, “Me no likey,” as he tears up an application for a penthouse. A character talks about being an outcast. A woman says that she has exhibitionistic tendencies. A woman makes a comment about China “raping and pillaging all of Korea” during World War II. A man says that academia is the enemy of art. A character says, “All men are trash.” A woman complains about being accused of having an “objectifying abnormality.”
► We see a wall covered with photos of toilets containing urine with varying colors from light yellow to deep yellow and red and are told that it will be an art installation. A man stubs his toe on something when walking into a dark bedroom. A man says that the theater where he is manager has been deemed structurally unsound and will be closing soon.

Shortcomings LANGUAGE 9

 – About 46 F-words, 15 sexual references, 19 scatological terms, 17 anatomical terms, 5 mild obscenities, name-calling (insane, garish, narrow and exclusionary, white girl envy, hypocrite, entitled, stupid Asian fetishist, sys het male, rice king, placating parents, catfished, interloper, deceptive, pathetic, fence sitter, disaster, toxic, mainstream, rude, snobby, depressing, too much, disgusting, predictable, crazy, ew, gentrified, overrated, insidious media conspiracy, idiot), exclamations (wow, oh jeez), 22 religious exclamations (e.g. oh my God, God, Jesus Christ, praise Jesus, Holy [scatological term deleted], Jesus). | profanity glossary |

Shortcomings SUBSTANCE USE

 – A man and a woman drink wine, people drink alcohol at a movie premier, and people drink in a few party scenes. A woman smokes cigarettes in a few scenes.

Shortcomings DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Filmmaking, community, performance art, World War II, being supportive, pity, ending relationships, anger depression, wounded egos, pedophilia, assimilation, moralistic generalizations, fetishism, consumption and waste, fear of change, performance art.

Shortcomings MESSAGE

 – Change can be hard, and you should do what makes you happy in life.