Shirley | Rotten Tomatoes

Shirley

R

Released Jun 5, 2020

1 hr. 47 min.

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

TRAILER

for Shirley: Trailer 1

List

88%

263 Reviews

Tomatometer

54%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

A famous horror writer finds inspiration for her next book after she and her husband take in a young couple.

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Premiered May 01

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Critics Consensus

Elevated by outstanding work from Elisabeth Moss, Shirley pays tribute to its subject's pioneering legacy with a biopic that ignores the commonly accepted boundaries of the form.

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Robert T

A contrived, manipulative piece of knee-jerk that has absolutely nothing to do with the real Shirley Jackson and Stanley Hyman. In real life they were functional, witty, idiosyncratic, perhaps oddballs -- not psychotic, alcoholic ragers. Just read any bio of Shirley Jackson. No wonder their children were upset by this fiction. Also, this story is so predictable and stupid that Shirley Jackson would have wadded it up and thrown it in her waste basket if it had occurred to her -- which it wouldn't. I give the film one star only for the excellent acting, especially Elizabeth Moss.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

04/05/24

Full Review

Melissa L

I don't know why the audience who rated this movie gave it such poor ratings. It was superb. I recommend it.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/26/24

Full Review

Alec B

I'm glad there was an attempt to emulate Jackson's writing style in this portrayal but the probing of the characters never gets beyond surface level observations.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/10/24

Full Review

John T

It is legitimate to imagine or re-imagine an author's life but completely illegitimate to invent a character, who bears little or no relation to them, and then pretend it is them. Imagine taking a childless woman, whose life was consumed by self-doubt and then making her into a jolly mother of four ! Absurd and ridiculous. No, that is not what 'Shirley' does, it does something almost worse, namely the opposite. It takes a mother of four and recasts her as a somewhat monstrous and angry childless woman preoccupied by a pregnant lodger. Shirley Jackson's son has complained this bears absolutely no relation to his mother as he has every right to. A travesty.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

11/07/23

Full Review

Susan D

This was such a great movie, intellegent script, fantastic cast/acting, it kept me riveted to the screen. So refreshing!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/15/23

Full Review

diane S

Just a bad movie all around. And Elizabeth Moss is such a camera hog and so over the top in love with herself - she's absolutely unbearable and impossible to watch. She was bad before but scientology turned her into world class psycho. If you like being so close to Elizabeth Moss' face that you can count her nostril hairs, then this movie is for you.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

08/14/23

Full Review

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Josephine Decker

Director

Elisabeth Moss

Shirley Jackson

Michael Stuhlbarg

Stanley Hyman

Odessa Young

Rose

Logan Lerman

Fred

Allen McCullough

Norman

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Shirley: Becoming Shirley

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Charles Bramesco

Inside Hook

Shirley Jackson's life is adapted to a movie that's as complicated and interesting as the author's writing.

Sep 21, 2021

Full Review

Nick Schager

Esquire Magazine

Despair, desire, and madness are all entangled in Josephine Decker's Shirley...

Jan 27, 2021

Full Review

Becca James

Chicago Reader

A look at the very morose Shirley Jackson (Elisabeth Moss), presented in a way that mimics the famed fiction author's horror writing...

Dec 30, 2020

Full Review

Amy Smith

InSession Film

When a director makes a bold choice to tell the story of an icon in a different way, I always appreciate it. I am done with the traditional bio-pics. I want refreshing spins on them, and this is one of them.

Rated: B

Feb 29, 2024

Full Review

Greg Carlson

Vague Visages

A vivid reminder of an unrealized future...

Feb 7, 2024

Full Review

Manuel São Bento

MSB Reviews

Sarah Gubbins' screenplay may feel strange and aimless throughout the first half, but the intriguing relationships between the main characters and the weirdly captivating narrative are more than enough to create a creepy yet engaging atmosphere.

Rated: B+

Jul 24, 2023

Full Review

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Synopsis

A famous horror writer finds inspiration for her next book after she and her husband take in a young couple.

Director: Josephine Decker
Executive Producer: Allison Rose Carter, Cherilyn Hawrysh, Martin Scorsese, Alisa Tager
Screenwriter: Sarah Gubbins
Distributor: Neon
Production Co: Killer Films, Mechanism Digital, Los Angeles Media Fund
Rating: R (Language|Brief Disturbing Images|Nudity|Sexual Content)
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 5, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 4, 2020

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