Shirley (2024) Review!!

Synopsis – Shirley Chisholm makes a trailblazing run for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination after becoming the first Black woman elected to Congress.

My Take – Having become a fan of her performances in If Beale Street Could Talk (2018), for which she picked up the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, the under-looked yet excellent The Harder They Fall (2021), and the acclaimed HBO series adaption, Watchmen, I am at point where I see – “starring Regina King“, I say sign me up!

Hence, I went into this latest Netflix biopic, embarrassingly unaware, of who she was playing: the trailblazing Shirley Chisholm, a former school teacher turned first Black U.S. congresswoman, who left an undeniable massive impact on U.S. history, particularly when it came to black civil rights and women’s rights.

Applying the recent hit-and-miss concept of honing in only on a particular time period or an event of the central subject’s life, this latest from filmmaker John Ridley, who is known mainly as the Oscar-winning screenwriter of 12 Years a Slave (2013), depicts her ultimately unsuccessful campaign to win the Democratic nomination for the 1972 Presidential election.

However, while the film has all the ingredients of the Great Black Historical Figure trope and to an extend provides a meaningful portrayal of the groundbreaking Black politician, its execution and refusal to explore deeper issues makes it among the handful of those given the dutiful, by-the-numbers biopic treatment. Indeed, Chisholm was an incredible, inspiring figure in both Black and women’s history, so it is a bit frustrating to see her receive such a paint-by-numbers telling of her story.

Rightfully, the film showers praise on her for her radical role, and her desire to bring politics back to the people, to represent and respect the voters who made her work possible, but it often fails to explore why she became the unstoppable political force for good that she was.

Yes, there’s nothing massively wrong with the film, but writer-director John Ridley’s approach to this story is so safe that the film does not leave the desired impact when the end credits roll in.

Nevertheless, Regina King rises above it all, with yet another performance that stands as a testament to her exceptional talent and versatility as an actress. Her portrayal of Chisholm is both powerful and heart-wrenching, leaving a lasting impression. Making this turn one of the best of her career.

Beginning in 1968, the story follows Shirley Chisholm (Regina King), who among 435 members of the House of Representatives, of which only 11 were women, only five Black, became the first African American woman elected to Congress. Soon finding herself getting stuck with agriculture rep as a fresher.

However, in 1972, in order to promote awareness of a more inclusive American political system that largely ignored marginalized communities, particularly African Americans and women, she ends up launching an impossible dream of running for the Democratic nomination for president, particularly, to prevent Republican President Richard Nixon from retaining office.

Recruiting her husband Conrad (Michael Cherrie), former intern Robert Gottlieb (Lucas Hedges), advisors Arthur Hardwick (Terrence Howard) and Mac Holder (Lance Reddick), veteran organizer Stanley Townsend (Brian Stokes Mitchell) and future politico and congresswoman, Barbara Lee (Christina Jackson) to support her historic run.

The film largely bounces back and forth between the highs and lows of her campaign, including the toll it takes on her family and team, sadly, even with its inspirational tone and moving performances, it never fully takes off. Given Chisholm’s many accomplishments, it is understandable that director Ridley attempted a limited scope, but the choice is unfortunately just that, limiting. His approach is far too bland and conventional to be particularly intriguing.

In the hands of another filmmaker, this could have perhaps been a gripping political thriller, but instead, we get a paint-by-numbers depiction of events. Here, he goes through the motions of a typical biopic, making some curious choices to spruce things up. The occasional overlong musical riff disrupts the flow, and wouldn’t be so bad if they were a regular occurrence.

There’s little that he can do to stop the film from feeling very restrained, confined to the kind of genre conventions that Chisholm never would’ve stood for. Even the film’s interpersonal relationships also feel underdeveloped, with some character dynamics feeling forced for a more convenient narrative outcome. Most importantly, we never get the chance to see what inspired Chisholm’s political fire. Mostly, we are left to exposition-heavy dialogue from other characters talking about her.

Occasionally, we see her Shirley pushing back on her first-year committee assignments or at a rude male congressman obsessed with the fact that they make the same amount of money, and when she starts recruiting ambitious young people, things really start cooking. But we never get to the most basic bits of any biopic: what this person is about, why she cares, and what she’s striving for. Leaving us in short supply in the rest of the film.

Thankfully, Regina King is in charge of keeping us engaged. Giving a performance that ascends beyond the average biographical turn, both embodying her character’s persona while infusing it with a clear humanity and empathy. It doesn’t feel like a mere impersonation. She commands the screen in the way someone playing Chisholm absolutely should.

In supporting roles, Terrence Howard, Lucas Hedges, Michael Cherrie, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Christina Jackson, Reina King, André Holland, and Lance Reddick, in one of his final roles, are all stellar. On the whole, ‘Shirley‘ is a formulaic biopic of a groundbreaking politician bolstered by a winning central performance from Regina King.