Acerbic, alcoholic writer "Shirley" (Elisabeth Moss) and her academic husband Michael Stuhlbarg ("Stanley") work well together as the occasionally dysfunctional couple who take a pair of newly-weds under their wing at the institution where Logan Lerman ("Fred") has come to teach with wife Odessa Young ("Rose"). Initially hostile, Moss starts to bond - in a lively, inconsistent fashion, with Young as her husband settles in to this new job and the four of their relationships develop. My problem is, once the characters have bedded down; the script goes nowhere fast and though the performances - even from the pretty, but usually rather wooden Lerman - are strong, and at times really quite menacing; they are rarely strong simultaneously; and the pace of the story moves from lethargic to break-neck so erratically as to rob the narrative and characterisations of much cohesion. The editing is a bit loose, and the manipulative nature of all of them - in their own way - is really undercapitalised on. At times, it has flashes of Burton/Taylor but they are too infrequent to really stop it from losing it's way... Certainly worth seeing but I was underwhelmed.

Based on a Book that Fantasizes about Real-Life Author Shirley Jackson, who Wrote 5 Novels and over 200 Short Stories.

Her most Famous Work is the Novel "The Haunting of Hill House" was made into a Feature Film Twice and a Mini-Series.

The First Film was"The Haunting" (1963) with Julie Harris.

As Stated, this is Not a Bio-Pic but has Elements of Shirley's Life that are True, like Her Marriage to Teacher (not Professor) and Literary Critic Stanley Hyman.

The Most Strikingly Real Thing about "Shirley" is Elizabeth Moss and Her Uncanny Transformation to the Appearance of the Real-Life Shirley.

She could be a Twin or a Clone, it is that Spot-On.

The Film is Interesting and Stylish Enough to Draw You in to the Story because it is Creepy and Haunting like the Author's Work.

And Again Moss is a Sight to Behold, Looking Like a Witch most of the Time and Acting just as Macabre.

The Rest of the Cast can Hardly Keep Up.

But are Given some Good Off-Beat Personas and Interactions with the Bizarre, Brilliant Shirley.

Just Don't Go Here to Acquire any Deep-Dive, although One can See the Similarities between the Real-Life and the Fictional Account.

Shirley Jackson Suffered Bouts of Amphetamine, Barbiturate, and Alcohol Abuse and was Over-Weight most of the Time.

Fans of the Author most Likely will Like this Peek at the Persona of Shirley Jackson.

Because it seems to Capture the Genius of a Gifted Talent's Struggle Against Who She Was and the Expected Conformity that was of Her Era.

All of that took a Toll on the Woman and She Died in Her Sleep of Heart-Failure at the Age of 48.

The film is inspired by the life of Shirley Jackson (Elisabeth Moss) who wrote horror stories. Her husband Hyman (Michael Stuhlbarg) teaches at the university and has numerous affairs. Hyman hires Fred (Logan Lerman) to help him. He comes along with Rose, his pregnant wife (Odessa Young). The relationship are not normal even for abnormal relationships. At times I felt I was watching a scene out of Virginia Woolfe. Shirley starts to write again and Rose helps her. She uses the disappearance of a local college girl as her subject.

I felt there were missing scenes and deleted dialogue, i.e. something I missed. I wish I had read the Wiki-biography before I watched the film.

Guide: F-word, sex, nudity (Odessa Young)