Hidden Figures Review

PG: Thematic Elements and Some Language

20th Century Fox, Chernin Entertainment, TSG Entertainment

2 Hrs and 6 Minutes

Cast: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, Glenn Powell, Aldis Hodge

REVIEW: Honestly I didn’t know anything about this story. Not the movie itself, but the story of these three extraordinary women working at NASA and helping change the course of history. When I saw the trailer, I was curious and did a lot of research on the women that did everything to get America in space. From the director of Bill Murray’s best comeback in years 2014’s St. Vincent, Hidden Figures is an entertaining surprise.

As the United States raced against Russia to put a man in space, NASA found untapped talent in a group of African-American female mathematicians that served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in U.S. history. Based on the unbelievably true life stories of three of these women, known as "human computers", we follow these women as they quickly rose the ranks of NASA alongside many of history's greatest minds specifically tasked with calculating the momentous launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, and guaranteeing his safe return. Dorothy Vaughn, Mary Jackson, and Katherine Johnson crossed all gender, race, and professional lines while their brilliance and desire to dream big, beyond anything ever accomplished before by the human race, firmly cemented them in U.S. history as true American heroes.

THE GOOD: From the film’s intro Melfi brilliantly captures the prejudice times of the 60s. Through the eyes of our three main leads, you experience the roughness of each of their  subplot with the obstacles they face: Katherine Johnson’s story is her promotion to be a mathematician in the control analysis room and having to keep up with her prejudice higher-ups, Dorothy Vaughn’s story focuses on her trying to get a promotion to be supervisor of the West America Computers, and Mary Jackson attempting to go back to school to be an engineer in all white class.

The film sets up each subplot and as an audience member, you’re thoroughly invested in it because of how likable these women are. They are portrayed more than characters but as people. Their scenes facing different personal challenges are genuinely moving to see but when the three of them are together discussing their lives make it even more entertaining. It felt like watching a historical episode of Girlfriends at times (remember Girlfriends? The show starring Tracee Ellis Ross back in the 00s?)

The beauty and emotion of the film really come from the scenes when the women are not working in NASA, but when they are home with their families. It may sentimental and schmaltzy at times, but when you see the women’s lives at home you get the sense that their job at NASA much more of a prominent mission to get accomplished.

The three leads do a great job portraying each one of these powerful women, but Taraji P. Henson carries the torch through and through. She never turns into the Cookie that we know and love which is a good thing because of how completely different this character is. She’s actually the soft-spoken straight woman until she’s pushed over the line. As Johnson is entered this room where she’s ultimately smarter than everyone else around.You see her go through so many scenes of discrimination that the result of her breaking scene is powerful. Even when she’s angry it’s never over the top it’s just right. 

THE BAD: Because of this time period the film was taken place in, you get several civil right movement discussion from several characters. It’s briefly touched on and then it’s just dropped because as an audience member you know, that’s not the focus of the film. 

I love Pharrell Willams and his music. The album for this movie is really good. The only issue of his music for this movie is how some tracks are integrated into some scenes. There are two or three sequences of Johnson running from the control room to another building to use the colored women restroom. Each time she does it, Pharrell’s original song, “Runnin’” is played as a replacement for the Benny Hill theme. It’s funny the first time, but when it’s shown again at the same part of the song you just get annoyed. When a Pharrell song plays in Despicable Me or Despicable Me 2, it’s integrated at just the right moment, but here it’s distracting. Only two of them work and when it does play it’s for 30 seconds and then it fades right back into Hans Zimmer’s score.

LAST STATEMENT: With strong performances from the three leads most notably Taraji P. Henson, Hidden Figures is an entertaining enough to leave a nice smile on your face.

Rating: 3/5 | 68%

Super Scene: Costner gets the ax.