
In “Shirley” by John Ridley, the subject revolves around the 1972 presidential campaign of Shirley Chisholm (Regina King) the first woman of African American descent who was elected to the Congress and became the first woman to seek the Democratic nomination for President of America. Moving across the timeline of her run for office, “Shirley” showcases the ruthless spirit of Chisholm who endured misogynistic suppression of her every move while pursuing her goal of being a pioneer and a beacon of optimism in politics. In a narrative that shares problems with last year’s “Rustin”, the Achilles heel of Netflix’s formula is once again revealed: a bland, very much corporate narrative style, so devoid of taste and enthusiasm.
“Shirley” starts after Chisholm has already entered the Congress and had a grouped photo taken on the Capitol’s staircase. What stands out the most is her determined shoulders and high chin while being surrounded by typical white males and when she is on the receiving end of scornful remarks she respectfully retorts with a firm and unwavering spirit. Right from the beginning “Shirley” indicates that its main character is not one who can be easily shaken.
The film then shifts forward to the presidential race which is a Congressional race and is the main theme of the film. Here Shirley starts to formulate plans and rallies her aides: the husband, Conrad (Michael Cherrie), the advisors, Wesley McDonald Holder (Lance Reddick), and Arthur Hardwick Jr.
What came next was this film which is more fawning than glory for the courageous Shirley. Shirley has an entire team of eight, the most prominent of whom are playwright Terrence Howard who worked on the project along with young law student Robert Gottlieb, played by Lucas Hedges; who understands the sentiments of today’s youth. During their time together, they fully comprehend the litany of reasons why Shirley is an outsider in the race to the caucus. In addition to the common challenges a candidate faces due to her race and gender, she just stepped in as a Congresswoman and has primarily stayed out of politics.
Her metaphorical perspective was that the people own politics, and she knew them very well. It is obvious that doctrines of timidity were not part of her definition of things not to do, even telling Gottlieb in trepidation, to be humble is pomp in itself. Much appreciation and love cannot be expressed enough for her subject in the film “Shirley”, but it can be criticized for treating the subject matter as a textbook, rather than the direct subject of the film as the author appreciates.
What this movie certainly does, though, is offer an interesting character-focused critique. It portrays her in the time that preceded the formal establishment of the Civil Rights Movement. The manner in which the movie gives an overview of the parties involved is neither engaging nor informative. In place of exploring depths or rugged feelings earned through deceitful means, the directors preferred essential lines in various forms.
The film “Shirley” is unable to sustain the presence of its well-known actors because the events of the script take priority over the characters. The audience is left missing out on valuable storytelling because there are many gaps within the subjects. It appears as though Shirley is only a secondary character in her own movie. The film had some potential to go into more nuance through Chisholm’s spiteful sister and a lonely husband, yet even in the moments that should have been more personal, which is quite a lot in this case, the conversations are unbearably fake. This one-eyed manner of the writers with regard to Chisholm is also the reason for her not being adequately conveyed. More focus is placed on her unrelenting hope and motivation, but the movie as a whole suffers, as does Shirley as a character, despite King’s best efforts, the cliché one-liners and stiff upper lip are far too much.
Lack of focus on his subject leaves Shirley not only as a person but to make things worse, having no emotional connection which leaves a big gap. Regina King is fantastic laced with fiery charisma, and with great energy she expresses Chisholm sounding like words emanate from within her. But sadly, high emotional performance and effort from King’s end get lost due to the merging of achievement and persona in the film.
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