Review of Shirley (2020) by Brent_Marchant — 13 Jun 2020

An ambitious but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to do something different with the biopic genre as told through an episode in the life of enigmatic horror/mystery author Shirley Jackson. While the picture benefits from strong visuals and excellent performances by Michael Stuhlbarg, Odessa Young and, especially, Elisabeth Moss as the title character, director Josephine Decker raises far too many issues and introduces an excess of story threads that never quite tie together into a coherent, focused whole.

That's unfortunate given the story's complex and colorful protagonist and its fine ensemble of supporting players. Judicious editing and a revamped screenplay would have worked wonders for this one. As it stands, however, "Shirley" represents a missed opportunity to tell a story as provocative and engaging as the subject it's profiling.