The sisterhood forged between Dr. Betty Shabazz and Coretta Scott-King, widows of two the most pivotal and controversial African-American leaders of the 20th century, was one that inspired bittersweet awe, nostalgia and pride in the hearts of Black America. We have often imagined the monumental “what ifs” and “if onlys” of a powerful alliance between Dr. Martin L.King, Jr. and El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, formerly known as Malcolm X, but we have rarely examined the friendship between Dr. Shabazz and Mrs. King.
Lifetime’s “Betty and Coretta” attempts to portray their dynamic friendship through the feminist lens of independent womanhood, separate from the looming shadows of their husbands. And it is there, tragically, where the movie not only fails to fulfill its great potential, but further perpetuates the patriotic fallacy that there is more value in Dr. King’s legacy than that of Malcolm X.
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It was too blatant not to notice.
On one hand, there is Malik Yoba, throwing himself into the role of MLK with nuance and conviction; and the magnificent Angela Bassett, who so became Coretta Scott-King, that in my near-sightedness, there were moments when it seemed as if I were watching the late activist on screen and not an extraordinarily gifted actress. Conversely, an awkward Mary J. Blige plods clumsily through her paces as Betty Shabazz and Lindsay Owen Pierre, in all his dimpled adorableness, plays Malcolm X as if in a PBS after-school special.
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Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t expecting Golden Globe and Oscar-worthy performances to be wrung from a Lifetime special, but it was obvious that more consideration was taken with Martin and Coretta, than that of Malcolm and Betty, in both appearance and content.
And at the heart of that disrespect lies the dialogue.
Let’s be very clear: Malcolm X does not need anyone to apologize on his behalf.
This movie positioned itself as inviting the world into previously barricaded recesses of the fiery leader’s life, but instead sought to re-image him in a way more palatable for a white-washed nation that doesn’t take too kindly to fearless Black men.
While Martin was portrayed as he typically is – conciliatory and in love with his own martyrdom, instead of the union advocating, anti-war activist that he was publicly transitioning into before he was gunned down for his efforts –, Malcolm’s courage under enemy fire (both from the United States government and the Nation of Islam), and unwavering dedication to human rights over civil rights were tossed aside in favor of attempts to show how much he had “changed.”
The tone was unabashedly one of disapproval, both for his calls to meet violence with violence – instead of turning the other cheek – and his refusal to fall victim to morality-dissolving patriotism. Instead of a movie that honestly explored the lives of these two men – if only as a peripheral storyline from the alternate vantage point of their spouses, it took its prime-time opportunity to dive head first into apologetic revisionism.
I get it; it’s Lifetime. I didn’t expect to see meetings of the Organization of Afro-American Unity or Muslim Mosque, Inc., but neither did I expect to see the daughter of our “Black Shining Prince” portrayed as being ashamed of his legacy when trapped behind the white-privileged walls of Princeton, or his wife struggling to soften the reverberating, game-changing blow of “By Any Means Necessary.”
Sadly, Betty and Coretta was “Real Housewives” of the Civil Rights Era — enjoyable, funny, fleeting drama, but nothing memorable. And when not brushing past the rich legacies of these women in favor of shoe shopping, knitting and cooking, with honorable mention to infidelity and enviable sex lives, it vilified Malcolm in its misguided attempts to redeem him.
Much respect to Mary J. Blige for telling our stories in unexpected places, but if there is one thing that this movie affirmed for me:
The lives of Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz is not a made for Lifetime movie.
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