Joey Magidson
As we wrap up the Presidential primaries in a manner that almost everyone agrees is a less than satisfying manner (even if, folks, please don’t pretend that there isn’t a clear choice), it isn’t a bad thing to harken back to a day when we groundbreaking campaigns. In telling the story of Shirley Chisholm and her long-shot big to become the Democratic nominee for President, Shirley is coming at a perfect time. While the film is a missed opportunity to be a great biopic and true awards player, it’s still respectful, well done, and more effective than not.
Shirley follows a lot of familiar beats
This is the story of Shirley Chisholm (Regina King), the first Black congresswoman, and her decision to run for the democratic nomination for President of the United States. When we meet her, she’s just been elected to Congress and is first experiencing the poor treatment by her white male counterparts. A few years later, she’s begun to make her mark, though it’s far from enough. Meeting with Wesley McDonald ‘Mac’ Holder (Lance Reddick) and Arthur Hardwick Jr. (Terrence Howard), Chisholm decides to run for President. Her husband Conrad Chisholm (Michael Cherrie) isn’t super keen on the idea, but he knows his wife has already made up her mind.
Recruiting campaign staff like Robert Gottlieb (Lucas Hedges), Chisholm is off and running with this long shot campaign. Everything is against her, even though there is the beginnings of the groundswell that suggests more than one kind of person can run for the highest office in the land. As she deals with the campaign, her relationship with Conrad frays, all while she has to keep remembering why she ran in the first place. History tells us how it all ended up, but it is undeniable that she left her mark on political history.
Regina King is very good here, no surprise, but the character is a bit underwritten. So, we see her doing a lot with a little. Still, there’s a force of nature element to the role that she’s more than adept at. So, even if this isn’t the sort of performance that wins an Oscar, it’s more evidence that she’s one of the best out there. Beyond King, there’s not a ton for everyone else to do, even if people like Terrence Howard and Lance Reddick are reliable presences. Lucas Hedges is wasted, while Michael Cherrie is off to the side. Supporting players here include W. Earl Brown, André Holland, Christina Jackson, Brad James, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Amirah Vann, and more.
Writer/director John Ridley more or less makes your standard issue biopic here. Now, that’s frustrating because the potential is here for something more, but he still knows how to keep your focus. There could have been more about the actual election and primary, but it’s not trying to be especially inside baseball. The film is much more concerned with you caring about Chisholm, being invested in her story, and recognizing its importance. To that end, Ridley does succeed more than he fails, even if it’s a bit of a bumpy ride.
Shirley is a missed opportunity to make the next great biopic, but a strong lead performance and the overall novelty of the story winds up saving the day.
SCORE: ★★★
Looking forward to watching Shirley. I know it’s early and it’s coming out early but do you think at least Regina King will be in awards consideration? Being on Netflix makes it very accessible for a long time. There is also a lot of goodwill for King and that can’t be discounted.
I know I will also be interested in the costumes it’s a time period I like to see how accurate they get it . I they did a wonderful job with Are You There God ? It’s Me Margaret.
My guess is, no. There’s always a chance, but it just doesn’t have the feel of something that will last the season. We shall see, though.
I’ll let you know what I think of it . I have it marked to watch.
Sounds good.