The movie made it seem like Dr. Shirley was out of touch with his culture, but in fact it was quite the opposite. He was friends with other famous Black musicians and marched with Dr. King in the Civil Rights movie. I urge people who want to know more about Dr. Shirley not to see the movie and do some research on him. I also suggest that you read Shadows and Act article here.
I didn’t watch the movie but I saw the trailer. Marhershala Ali portrayal of Dr. Shirley gives you the impression that he is this uptight stiff Black dude.
Compare that with Josef Astor interview with the real Dr.Donald Shirley and see the difference.
Does that seem like the same person to you?