Inspiring biopic 'Shirley' keeps focus on Chisholm's quixotic run for president in 1972

Writer-director John Ridley and star Regina King get right to it in the Netflix original film “Shirley,” a no-frills, straightforward and inspirational biopic of the iconic and pioneering Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress and the first Black candidate for a major party nomination for president.

This Oscar-winning tandem (Ridley for his screenplay of “12 Years a Slave,” King for best supporting actress for “If Beale Street Could Talk”) combine to deliver a memorable docudrama period piece that focuses on Chisholm’s at times quixotic yet admirable 1972 campaign against entrenched white male candidates such as George McGovern, Hubert Humphrey and Edmund Muskie, shaking up the establishment every step of the way.

This is not a sweeping, cradle-to-grave portrait, nor do we pause the main story for flashbacks telling us about Chisholm’s childhood and the key events and figures in her upbringing. It’s all about the campaign.

As an opening graphic tells us: “In 1968, there were 435 elected representatives to the House of Congress. 11 of those representatives were women. Five … were Black. None of them were Black women.” That changed when schoolteacher Shirley Chisholm was elected to represent New York’s 12th Congressional District in 1968. A few years later, in 1971, much to the surprise of her inner circle (including her husband Conrad, played by Michael Cherrie), Chisholm decided to make a play for the Democratic presidential nomination.

With graphics counting down the months until the Democratic National Convention in Miami Beach in the summer of 1972, the soundtrack pumping with eclectic tunes (such as “Sugar” by the Isonics, “Street Girl” by The Electric Banana and “Take Care of Your Own Business” by Dave Hamilton), and director Ridley and cinematographer Ramsey Nickell changing filters and aspect ratios to reflect the early 1970s vibe, “Shirley” moves along at a brisk clip and introduces a bevy of supporting characters based on real-life figures. (Ridley also drops in news clips of prominent feminist leaders such as Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem, adding to the verité.)

The late Lance Reddick reminds us of his screen-commanding presence with his portrayal of the political power broker Wesley McDonald “Mac” Holder. Terrence Howard contributes fine work as Arthur Hardwick Jr., a business and civic leader who became Shirley’s second husband. Amirah Vann has a sparkling turn as the actress Diahann Carroll, who brokers a meeting between Chisholm and Black Panther founder Huey P. Newton (Brad James).

In one of the film’s most powerful scenes, Chisholm ignores the advice of her team and meets with the notorious segregationist George Wallace (W. Earl Brown) in the hospital after Wallace has been shot and paralyzed by a would-be assassin. Overcome by Shirley’s compassion and faith, Wallace breaks down and cries. (It might seem over the top, were it not for the fact this meeting actually took place, with Chisholm reporting that Wallace had “cried and cried” after she expressed her concerns and said she was praying for him.)

“Shirley” never engages in revisionist history, never tries to make the argument there was even a moment when it seemed as if Chisholm could actually win the nomination, let alone the presidency. (As it is, the eventual Democratic nominee, George McGovern, lost in a landslide, with Richard M. Nixon taking 49 states.) Chisholm knew that — but she also knew that her run was more than just symbolic, that she could gather a considerable number of delegates before releasing them to vote for McGovern, that she could gain valuable network airtime to state her case and advance her causes. Regina King does great justice to the legacy of Shirley Chisholm, delivering a performance filled with power, humor, warmth and grace.

A Chicago Humanities Festival screening of “Shirley” will begin at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Davis Theater, 4614 N. Lincoln Ave., followed by a conversation with actor Christina Jackson, who plays Rep. Barbara Lee in the film. For tickets, $24 to $30, go to www.chicagohumanities.org