Shirley

This is a biopic of Shirley Chisholm (Regina King). In 1968, she became the first black woman to be elected to the United States Congress. The former school teacher is dismissed and told to wait her turn. She decides to run for President in 1972.

This is a straight biopic. I don't think that a failed run to a Democratic nominee who got destroyed by Nixon is actually that compelling of a story. The most compelling aspect is her marriage. That could be something there. The movie does something similar with the sister, but it's not set up well enough. Maybe a flashback with the father would help. The actors are great. The movie needs more imagination. It needs a better entry point. Barbara Lee could be that doorway. The movie could be told from her point of view.

This Shirley is possibly even more bold than Shirley, the waitress cooking up burgers for Rerun, from "What's Happening!" This is a great piece of American culture as it is about the first black congresswoman, Shirley Chisholm, who became the first Black woman to run for President of the United States. She was portrayed as a smart and savvy person who wouldn't let people tell her no or that she couldn't or shouldn't do something she believed in. The story follows her as she ramps up her presidential run, the people in her inner circle, her husband's role and of course the obstacles she had to overcome. Overall, the storytelling lacked finesse and subtly as it was a bit heavy-handed at times and felt like a choppy bullet list of moments. The acting and costumes felt spot on. Cool political and inspirational story.

As "Shirley" (2024 release; 118 min) opens, we are reminded that Brooklyn's Shirley Chisholm was the first Black woman elected to the US Congress, in 1966, among a sea of white males newcomers. We then go to "December, 1971" as Chisholm decides to run for the US presidency in a crowded field and with little chance of actually winning.... At this point we are 10 minutes into the movie.

Couple of comments: this is the latest from writer-director John Ridley (best known for his script for "12 Years A Slave"). Here he looks back at what basically amounts to a footnote in US political history. Question: who was the first Black woman elected to US Congress? Answer: Shirley Chisholm. Question: who was the first Black woman to run for president? Answer: Chisholm again. This film focuses solely on her 1972 presidential run, and hence this is NOT a biopic of Shirley Chisholm. We are given no background or context, none whatsoever, on how this woman got elected to Congress in the first place, or what she did in Congress. As to the movie itself, it struggles to get off the ground, although there are some good moments, in particular towards the end. The movie benefits enormously from the strong lead performance by Regina King ("If Beale Street Could Talk"). Lucas Hedges plays Robert, a national student representative. Bottom line is this: we all know the outcome of Chisholm's 1972 presidential run before we even watch this, so the assumption is that we watch this for the journey, rather than the end result. Turns out that journey isn't all that interesting, even if the concept itself (a Black woman running for president? In 1972? She is DEACDES ahead of her time) is momentous. I'd rather have watched and learned how Chisholm raised to prominence to begin with by getting elected to Congress in the first place. As a complete aside, I must point out that significant chunks of the movie were filmed in Cincinnati (where I live), standing in once again for New York of the 1960-70s (see also Todd Haynes' "Carole"). Also this: couldn't the film makers come up with a sharper movie title than the lame and generic "Shirley"?

"Shirley" received a one week limited theatrical run in Mid-March and then starting streaming on Netflix last week. "Shirley" is currently rated a respectable 70% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. That feels a little high to me. "Shirley" is well-meant, for sure, but I'd rather have watched a biopic of this barrier breaking woman. If you have any interest in politics, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

The movie chronicles the efforts of the first black US Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm to get a nomination to run for President of the United States. The incidents in her life in 1971-72 are in focus here and the movie is by no means a biopic. ( I am only focusing on the movie since I have no knowledge of real life incidents relating to her). One can see that an ordinary middle class black lady in US is able to pursue her dream to reach the highest office of the land with hardly any resources at her disposal and how she ruthlessly bulldozes her way in the face of adversities. Her husband doesn't think she has any chances and her sister is upset with the ridicule being heaped upon them by the public in general. She doesn't like her staff using the word " Can't " and she lovingly manipulates people to give in to her plans. She is confident and plucky while displaying a cool demeanor when facing issues .( She is described as 100 lbs of nuclear energy). Watch her in her " never say die" attitude even when she gets around 4% of the votes. She is happy making a beginning for others and considers herself as a catalyst for change.

With some good direction by John Ridley Regina King gives a spirited performance and does project the nuances of her complex character to near perfection. In a way she underplays the role convincingly. Regina's sister Reina plays the role of her on screen sister very effectively.

Shirley's greatest strength is how it shines a light on an underappreciated and pivotal figure in American history whilst emphasising her perseverance. However, it remains frustrating to see these fact based stories told in such a conventional fashion as it would feel like a straight to TV film if it wasn't for the star studded cast.

Regina King gives it her all, embodying Shirley's resilience in a way that carries the film. Terrence Howard and Lucas Hedges do a fine job in their supporting roles and it's a gift to still get to see Lance Reddick being this good in films a year after he passed. It's a true testament to his commitment and work ethic.

John Ridley's direction is mostly fine. Nothing stands out and he's content to let the performances take centre stage. The only aspect that is noticeable is the lighting, which becomes really distracting as it goes along because so many scenes are overly exposed in a way that makes it feel cheap.