Shirley

2024

Action / Biography / Drama / History

7
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 68% · 75 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 68% · 100 ratings
IMDb Rating 6.2/10 10 3564 3.6K

underdog 1970s based on true story fight the system inspiring social issues

Plot summary

Shirley Chisholm makes a trailblazing run for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination after becoming the first Black woman elected to Congress.

Director

John Ridley Photo
John Ridley

Top cast

Christina Jackson Photo
Christina Jackson as Barbara Lee
Brian Stokes Mitchell Photo
Brian Stokes Mitchell as Stanley Townsend
Regina King Photo
Regina King as Shirley Chisholm
Chet Grissom Photo
Chet Grissom as Russ
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
1.07 GB
1280*534
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us   ar   cz   dk   de   gr   es   fi   fr   il   hr   hu   id   it   ja   kr   ms   no   nl   pl   pt   ro   ru   sv   th   tr   uk   vi   cn  
24 fps
1 hr 58 min
Seeds 4
2.19 GB
1920*802
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us   ar   cz   dk   de   gr   es   fi   fr   il   hr   hu   id   it   ja   kr   ms   no   nl   pl   pt   ro   ru   sv   th   tr   uk   vi   cn  
24 fps
1 hr 58 min
Seeds 3

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by mdw0526 6 / 10

A well-meaning though ultimately unsatisfying biopic...

Far be it from me to cast aspersions on someone who looks at a life like Shirley Chisholm's and has to choose just enough for a two-hour biopic. But this Netflix film, produced by Regina King and written and directed by John Ridley (whose Oscar-winning "12 Years a Slave" was phenomenal), is a bit lackluster. I don't think it uses the best cross-section of an amazing life, with just the Wikipedia entry alone presenting so much possible material for a biopic.Regina King is excellent in the title role and the movie is well-intentioned but ultimately lacking in what made her so memorable, focusing solely on her 1972 presidential run with nothing about her work on the ERA or even how she first made it to Congress. The script feels like it takes her quotations and builds a movie around them; you can almost see the pullquote on the screen. Her famous tagline "unbought and unbossed" went unmentioned and unexplored in the entire movie, aside from one sign in the background of a scene. I'd still recommend watching this serviceable film, but keep your expectations in check.
Reviewed by chiapet-25426 7 / 10

a biopic with no backstory

Shirley Chisholm shattered glass ceilings in Congress, but the film 'Shirley' doesn't quite move the needle in the biopic genre. It's an earnest, straight-forward film, buoyed by a stand-out performance by Academy Award-winner Regina King.'Shirley' focuses almost entirely on Chisholm's campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1972. There's a lot of organizing and political strategizing. But we don't get to know Shirley the person and the movie has zero backstory.As important as Shirley Chisholm was in American politics, the film lacks a sense of drama; this can be attributed to limiting the narrative to Chisholm's campaign, which viewers know will fall way short of the finish line.Chisholm had a long career in Congress, winning eight terms. We don't see any of that. Nor do we see much of Chisholm's personal life and none of her pre-Congressional career as a school teacher in Brooklyn. Her life might have made for an interesting mini-series on Netflix, which produced the film.Surely, 'Shirley' does have its attributes. The period costumes, sets and soundtrack all transported me to back in the day. For me, the best scene in the film was a tense powwow between Chisholm and the California leader of the Black Panthers, hosted by actress Diahann Carroll. Who knew?'Shirley' is an OK film, but I wanted to know more about Shirley the person.
Reviewed by natmavila 7 / 10

Shirley You Can't Be Serious

"Shirley" (2024) sets out to capture the groundbreaking, albeit unsuccessful, 1972 presidential run of Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress. The film straddles the line between historical homage and cinematic spectacle with the grace of a tightrope walker in a windstorm. It's commendable in its ambition, like attempting to solve a Rubik's Cube blindfolded - admirable, but you kind of wonder why.The movie is ok, and by "ok," I mean it's like that lukewarm cup of coffee you forgot about but decide to drink anyway because, well, caffeine is caffeine. The narrative attempts to juggle Chisholm's political struggles, personal trials, and historical context, occasionally dropping the ball but mostly keeping it in the air. The performances are robust, channeling the essence of the 70s so convincingly you can almost smell the vintage cologne and see the questionable fashion choices off-screen. However, at times, it feels like the film is more of a spirited reenactment than a deep dive, skimming the surface like a stone over water, touching on depth but never fully plunging in.Where "Shirley" shines, though, is in its unwavering commitment to reminding us of a story that deserves to be told, even if it does so with the finesse of a sledgehammer to a nail. It's like watching your dad use a smartphone; the effort is there, the process is painful, but the outcome is mostly what you hoped for. In a sea of historical dramas that take themselves too seriously, "Shirley" is refreshingly self-aware, winking at its audience from time to time with on-the-nose dialogue and scenes that feel like they were directed by someone who binge-watched every political drama on streaming services. In the end, "Shirley" is a decent watch, the kind you'd recommend to a friend with the caveat, "It's interesting, but keep your expectations in check - like, way in check."
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