John Ridley won an Oscar for his screenplay for 12 Years a Slave, but his projects since have been far less impressive. The new Netflix biopic Shirley, starring Regina King as Shirley Chisholm, should herald Ridley’s return to the realm of prestige fare. Unfortunately, the film all too often takes the easy way out, making it yet another biopic about an unforgettable person.
Shirley tells the story of Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress, as she embarks on a campaign to receive the Democratic nomination to become President of the United States. Shockingly, despite her importance, there hasn’t been a major biopic about Chisholm yet, but this isn’t the tribute she deserves.
Unlike many biopics, Shirley is mercifully brief at under 2 hours long. However, perhaps ironically, this also causes the film to feel like a truncated, Wikipedia-esque telling of the details of Chisolm’s presidential campaign. Unfortunately, Ridley’s approach is far too bland and conventional to be particularly intriguing. In the hands of another filmmaker, this could have perhaps been a gripping political thriller, but instead, we get a paint-by-numbers depiction of events.
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Shirley is driven by Regina King’s impressive performance
Chisholm is an incredible, inspiring figure in both Black and women’s history, so it is a bit frustrating to see her receive such a paint-by-numbers telling of her story. Rightfully, the film showers praise on her for her trailblazing role, but it often fails to explore the greater implications and context of the system she disrupted.
Regina King is obviously the highlight of Shirley. She gives a performance that ascends beyond the average biographical turn, both embodying her character’s persona while infusing it with a clear humanity and empathy. It doesn’t feel like a mere impersonation. She commands the screen in the way someone playing Chisholm absolutely should.
King is so impressive, in fact, that she’s virtually acting circles around everyone in the supporting cast. The only person who stands out is, surprisingly, Lucas Hedges. He infuses a lot of personality into a role that easily could have been a throwaway. Unfortunately, others in the cast feel sadly disposable. Terrence Howard, Brian Stokes Mitchell, André Holland, and even Lance Reddick are all fine — but could have been recast with any character actor with little to no change in its effect.
From a technical standpoint, the film is entirely competent, with all the contrivances one would expect from a standard biopic. The costuming and production design are solid, doing a decent job of periodizing the film; the cinematography is conservative, if a little washed out; and the score is sweeping and sentimental.
Regina King is the main — if not the only — reason to watch the biopic Shirley. There’s nothing egregiously wrong with the film, but writer-director John Ridley’s approach to this story is so safe that the film does not make much of an impact. When people use the phrase “Oscar bait” disparagingly, it should be for films like this: competent but mostly unimpressive dramas whose sole highlight is their performances (or, in this case, performance).
Shirley streams on Netflix beginning March 22.
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Rating: 6/10
