Netflix's Shirley Review | Regina King Uplifts Rote Biopic

The 1972 Democratic presidential campaign of Shirley Chisholm is the focus of writer/director John Ridley’s biopic, Shirley. Oscar-winner Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk) delivers a commanding performance in the Netflix drama that shines the spotlight on one of the most dynamic and fiercely ambitious political trailblazers from the late 1960s, ’70s, and beyond. At the time, Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress in 1968, was considered an outsider. She entered Congress, representing New York's 12th congressional district, without much party support and often stood out with her “churchgoing” attire and outspokenness. The idea of a presidential run may have surprised even her, but once Chisholm took hold of the idea, there was no stopping the woman.