Summary

Regina King delivers another powerhouse performance as
Shirley
, bringing the historical figure’s endless ambition to life with authenticity.
The film gives a meaningful portrayal of Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman to reach Congress, but falls short in exploring deeper social issues.
The movie’s interpersonal relationships also feel underdeveloped, with some character dynamics feeling forced for a more convenient narrative outcome.

John Ridley and Regina King have reunited after their acclaimed first collaboration on ABC’s American Crime with the Netflix biopic Shirley. As with the socially conscious anthology crime drama, the duo’s teaming results in yet another outstanding performance from King that’s sure to put her in awards contention should voters remember the movie closer to awards season. Unfortunately, the movie itself may not see much other attention due to its somewhat safe approach to telling the titular politician’s story.

Shirley (2024) Shirley is a biographical drama film written and directed by John Ridley and was created for Netflix. The film explores the life and career of political icon Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman to reach Congress successfully and continue to aim higher – as high as running for the office of the President of the United States.ProsRegina King delivers a powerhouse performance as Shirley.The movie offers a meaningful depiction of an underexplored, yet important, historical figure. ConsThe movie’s social commentary rarely feels like it goes deep enough.Shirley’s interpersonal relationships feel largely underdeveloped.

Written and directed by Ridley, the movie explores Shirley Chisholm’s groundbreaking 1972 presidential run, in which she strove to continue the groundswell of having become the first Black woman to be elected to Congress and ensure that the power of the country is given back to the people of the United States. The biopic largely bounces back and forth between the highs and lows of her campaign, including the toll it takes on her family and team, but even with its inspirational tone and moving performances, it never fully takes off.

Regina King Continues Her Successful Streak Of Playing Historical Figures
King nails both Chisholm’s endless ambition & passion for a brighter country in Shirley.

From the movie’s opening moments of Chisholm fighting the Speaker of the House for a more effective assignment through her troubled campaign, King consistently taps into Shirley in a way that makes her feel alive now more than ever. Between the eponymous politician’s unique Barbadian American accent to her quick, yet thoughtful, delivery of her points, it’s clear King not only dove into as much research as possible to authentically portray her role, but also worked with Chisholm’s former campaign aide Barbara Lee to match her essence.

No more is this effectively delivered than in the few instances in which Shirley retains her morals in her campaign, even if it means losing it all. Her decision to visit troublesome competitor George Wallace in the hospital following the assassination attempt on his life is one of the most powerful in the movie, as King delivers the same level of sympathy and respect for the man as any “good Christian” would. This is all in spite of the pushback she received from many in her closest circle, which is further delivered powerfully by the Oscar winner.

But in spite of some of the movie’s flaws with its social commentary and supporting character development,

Shirley

ultimately shines due to Ridley’s pitch-perfect casting choices.

With this memorable turn, King has kept her winning streak of portraying historical figures onscreen alive and well. While best known to some for her supporting turn in Ray, King’s work as a director on One Night in Miami… and recent work in the loosely historical Western The Harder They Fall shows the true-story-based genre is ultimately one of the best for her.

Shirley Ultimately Suffers Due To Its Safe Story Approach
Ridley attempts to make meaningful modern connections, but they never go deep enough.

Based on the foundations of race and gender equality and increasing spending on such important social services as healthcare and education, Chisholm’s presidential campaign is just as relevant to today’s social climate as it was in the ’70s. Over 50 years later, with the country yet to see a female President, the heated campaign between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in 2008 drew a number of parallels from analysts to the late politician.

As he’s done so well with American Crime, Guerrilla and Five Days at Memorial, Ridley does draw some meaningful connections between Chisholm’s views and modern politics. In particular, her frequent pushing for a more effective process of female reproductive health care and birth control has become all the more topical as many laws across the country are undoing positive steps taken to offer these services.

Shirley (2024) Director John Ridley Release Date March 22, 2024 Studio(s) Participant , Royal Ties Productions Distributor(s) Netflix Writers John Ridley Cast Regina King , Lance Reddick , Lucas Hedges , Brian Stokes Mitchell , Dorian Missick , Amirah Vann , W. Earl Brown , Brad James , Andre Holland Runtime 117 Minutes

However, in spite of the movie’s best efforts, Shirley often feels like it never goes deep enough with these issues. Raising awareness of the subjects is certainly an important step in correcting them, but without a proper exploration of their effects on women in the country at the time, it feels more like lip service than proper highlighting of them. The same can be said for the movie’s touching on racism in the country at the time, as it more often explores the pushback Chisholm saw as a woman than as a Black woman specifically.

Shirley’s Interpersonal Relationships Are More Of An Afterthought
Speedy resolutions & clear signposting make it hard to feel fully invested in some dynamics.

The other major issue plaguing Shirley is the movie’s primary focus on its titular subject rather than those in her life at the time. At the start of the movie, her relationship with her husband feels meaningful as he sticks by her through mostly thick and thin in the early days of her campaign, but his eventual disillusionment with her and her cause ultimately feels like an inevitability in the biopic formula. Additionally, her consistent support from Terrence Howard’s Arthur feels like an obvious signposting for their real-life future marriage shortly after Chisholm’s divorce from Conrad.

The biopic largely bounces back and forth between the highs and lows of her campaign, including the toll it takes on her family and team, but even with its inspirational tone and moving performances, it never fully takes off.

One of the more egregious underwhelming relationship developments is Shirley’s relationship with her sister, Muriel St. Hill. Starting as adversarial to her sibling due to her closer bond with their father, Muriel’s appearances throughout the story largely see her still at odds with Chisholm until her eventual loss, in which she is suddenly supportive of her sister. While it may be a true chapter in their life, it ultimately feels a little too forced to create a happy ending.

But in spite of some of the movie’s flaws with its social commentary and supporting character development, Shirley ultimately shines due to Ridley’s pitch-perfect casting choices. Beyond King, who has been working to get a Chisholm biopic off the ground for years, Lance Reddick remains as powerful and charismatic as ever in one of his final roles, Howard is engaging as one of Shirley’s key allies and André Holland chews up the scenery as another of Chisholm’s opponents, Walter Fauntroy. It’s thanks to this cast that Shirley remains a rousing and emotional tribute to an important figure in American history.