Surely There’s a Better Shirley Chisholm Biopic Than ‘Shirley’

“Remarkable” almost doesn’t feel like a big enough word to quantify Shirley Chisholm. The Brooklyn-born politician was not only the first Black woman ever to be elected to United States Congress, but also the first Black woman to ever have a real, conceivable shot at the American presidency, earning a considerable amount of primary election votes and presidential delegates along the way. And though she ultimately did not win the Democratic party’s nomination in 1972, Chisholm’s bid for the presidency was momentous and impactful, paving the way for countless other politicians intent on making real change to an unvarying system.

Such an extraordinary legacy merits an equally exceptional movie, but Shirley, which streams on Netflix March 22, is far from the phenomenal biopic that Chisholm deserves. The film is frustratingly myopic, focusing solely on Chisholm’s presidential run, instead of probing the full life of its accomplished subject. This narrow account inadvertently diminishes Chisholm’s broad influence, keeping its audience at a distance when Chisholm’s undaunted spirit should be sweeping us up. But perhaps worst of all is that it’s not the vehicle it could be for star Regina King, whose portrayal of Chisholm feels more like a decent imitation than a potent piece of character work. Shirley is messy, makeshift, and pedantic, as though it weren’t a film but a cobbled-together starter kit for political history beginners.

Granted, everyone’s got to start somewhere when it comes to the vast expanse of American politics. But Shirley doesn’t serve as a compelling enough jumping-off point for any political science newbies to get hooked on the subject. The film hurries through a brief rundown of Chisholm’s political history, beginning with her election to Congress in 1968. She and the other members of the 91st Congress pose for a group photo on the steps of the Capitol, just next to a massive green screen rendering of the building. It’s not surprising that the production couldn’t get clearance to film at the actual United States Capitol, but seeing this shot—just two minutes into the movie—is an unfortunate omen of Shirley’s mystifying stylistic construction.

Read more at The Daily Beast.