SHIRLEY -- Another Informative, Basic Biopic

Review by Jonathan Berk

We have hit a weird moment with political biopics. There are tons of important historical figures that people should know about, and a movie seems like a great medium to deliver that information. The downside is that there are so many of these movies, and they're coming out more and more frequently, that the formulaic nature tends to have diminishing returns. Unfortunately, Shirley suffers from the familiar format, and then a few other issues bring it down a little further. Still, there is enough here to make it worth checking out.​

Regina King plays Shirley Chisholm from her first year joining Congress, which led to her unprecedented presidential campaign in 1972. Chisholm assembles a scrappy team to help build her campaign, but they are up against a lot. She has to navigate racism, sexism, and her relationships throughout the campaign. 
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To no one's surprise, King is incredible. She brings gravitas to any role at this stage in her career. This lends itself well to Chisholm, who one must assume had a similar confidence given the things she did. It takes a special kind of actor to be able to step into any scene and own the room. King is more than qualified and, thus, perfect casting.

The cast includes some incredible talent to support King: Lance Reddick, Lucas Hedges, Andre Holland, Terrence Howard, and Michael Cherrie, among others. The pedigree of the cast is evident in director John Ridley's film, but the script doesn't do them any favors. For the most part, there are a lot of characters telling us things rather than the film showing us. Hedges is tasked with a lot of exposition in clunky scenes. The character's introduction is an interview with King, in which he praises her so that the audience knows their history. It feels so unnatural, and it's just one of many examples of moments like it sprinkled throughout the film. 

The overall look of the film works. It feels like something from '70s TV, which blends well with some of the archival footage used in it. There are some scenes, however, that are just far too dark. You can't make out any details in those moments and the reason for it is unclear. Low-light cinematography is a challenge for sure, but usually, there is an apparent reason for the lighting to be that dark. It's not something that detracts from the film, but it was noticeable. 

This biopic at least breaks away from the birth-to-death format that is used too often. However, it still fails to capture the tension that Chisholm must have been feeling. The stakes are incredibly high, but the film never finds the angle to capture that intensity. It moves from one room of people talking to another. Even in the moments where Chisholm clearly would have been going through it, the film can't quite deliver that feeling to its audience. 

The good news is that Shirley is not a bad movie. Still, it does not feel essential, and it really should. The cast and the historical figure the film is about should make it a priority on your Netflix watchlist. It just fails to reach that level of excellence. Still, there is enough in the film to warrant its existence on the streaming platform. ​

Shirley will be in select theaters on March 15 and streaming on Netflix on March 22.
 
Rating: 3/5