Shirley
March 21st, 2024
MOVIE: SHIRLEY
STARRING: REGINA KING, LANCE REDDICK, TERRENCE HOWARD, LUCAS HEDGES
DIRECTED BY: JOHN RIDLEY
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 3 STARS (Out of 4)
The life of a person cannot truly be measured in a movie but it does cement that they did make an impact. Shirley Chisholm was a woman I had never heard of before 2016. Her name was often brought up because she was a rare instance where a woman had run for president of the United States. What John Ridley has done with his screenplay and direction is make sure audiences see Chisholm through her voice, as a person, was never given the true honor and respect that she deserved. Shirley is anchored by an excellent performance from Regina King, in a movie that finds enough focus and authenticity, to stay away from the typical biopic trappings.
The narrative angle that Ridley takes is not in the birth-to-death format but focuses solely on Chisholm’s presidential campaign in 1972. There are parts of Shirley that have a biopic sheen. Characters look like people in bad wigs, protestors look like organized extras, and set designs look like backlot recreations. Once the story moves away from those parts and zooms in on Shirley herself, the conversations in the rooms, and the complex decisions she had to make in her pursuit of being the first female president.
Outside of the writing having a crisp focus, what helps elevate Shirley, outside of King’s great performance, is the supporting cast of characters. Lance Reddick- in his last performance before his passing- is Chisholm’s stern and brutally honest campaign manager Wesley ‘Mac’ Holder. There is a directness that comes from Reddick which is one of his great assets. The other surrounding actors include Lucas Hedges as young strategist Robert Gottlieb, Terrence Howard as a political advisor, and Christina Jackson as a young future House member Barbara Lee. It’s through the surrounding players that King plays the role balanced and as natural as what the performance calls for.
The story hits the bullet points of Chisholm’s campaign. The struggle between her and her husband Conrad (Michael Cherrie) to understand the sacrifice of the campaign. Shirley’s early struggle to gain respect as the only Black person and female member of Congress, the uphill battle to receive any respect from a country cemented in racism and sexism, and the displays of great courage in the face of doubt. It’s even more concrete when Chisholm visits George Wallace- a man of completely different ideologies- in the hospital after an assassination attempt left the Governor of Alabama paralyzed. Although the low marks arrive, where the trappings of a biopic arise in scenes that feel similar to a Wikipedia biography, which seems to be something that can’t be cracked by most movies these days.
What elevates Shirley to the top of it all is the work from Regina King. The Oscar winner is delivering some of her best work yet, not just because she looks and acts the part, but because there’s not a single scene where she’s not good. If a film such as Rustin, Nyad, or Maestro highlights an actor’s full embodiment of a person then King is doing that and more. It’s through the direction, the lead performance, and the great character of Shirley Chisholm that merge into one, making a film worthy of representing her. A movie is probably not enough.
SHIRLEY IS PLAYING ON NETFLIX FRIDAY MARCH 22ND, 2024.
3 STARS
Written by: Leo Brady
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