'Hidden Figures' Review

HIDDEN FIGURES

My rating: 7.2/10

Synopsis (c/o 20th Century Fox): HIDDEN FIGURES is the incredible untold story of Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) -- brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation's confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.


My review:

From among more heavy-handed, emotionally intense awards juggernauts comes HIDDEN FIGURES: a safer, more approachable crowdpleaser that breathes life into a story never told during an era in American history that has been covered in film countless times.

Director Theodore Melfi uses the general lack of public awareness of this story to his advantage to create three distinct characters all with equally compelling tales to tell. As Mary Jackson, Janelle Monae is a firecracker; lively and dynamic, it's hard to peel your eyes away from her whenever she's on screen; as Dorothy Vaughan, Octavia Spencer reminds audiences of the same control and authority she brought to such roles as hers in THE HELP and FRUITVALE STATION; and as Katherine Johnson, Taraji P. Henson is the bona fide star of FIGURES, and is given much more to do than most other "smart" female characters are in these kinds of films (contained, restrained biopics), and she handles her responsibilities with grace and poignance. HIDDEN FIGURES isn't afraid to put complicated math and engineering on display, and performers like Henson and Monae step readily up to the plate to convincingly be the conduits for such complex matters. Each actor (including Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, and Jim Parsons in supporting roles) gives a straightforward, solid performance; none too showy, none underwhelming.

Apart from its performances, the other huge strength HIDDEN FIGURES has going for it is its genuineness. At the film's core is a massive beating heart, and it's obvious in each scene that this film was orchestrated with love and care. There is an energy to the film that is empowering and awe-inspiring; so much so that at the end of the film, the audience I was with burst into applause.

While there's no denying this film's charm, it isn't without flaw. My biggest issue with this movie is how safe it is. Seeing as this story is so criminally unheard of, the writers and director had a lot of creative leeway to expand upon the history of these women or the fucked-up things going on at NASA or in the STEM field across the country at that time. Sure, the film touches upon racial tension within NASA and the state of Virginia, but brief scenes like one featuring Kevin Costner demolishing a "colored ladies room" sign with a crowbar make it seem like the movie doesn't want to delve too much into those issues, but that it will address them to an extent. And I get it: this movie is about the successes of these women, but considering it also makes a point of the significance and prominence of discrimination in the workplace, HIDDEN FIGURES doesn't do much to address that subject differently than other recent films set in the Civil Rights era.

I would have loved to know more about the personal lives of each of these women. There are little glimpses into the lives of Johnson, Vaughan, and Jackson, sure, but they're just that -- little. I found myself wondering a lot about Katherine's adult life before motherhood; about Mary's time in class at an all-white school (a plot point that is sadly overlooked in favor of taking better care of Katherine's storyline); about what specific moments in her life made Dorothy so driven and ambitious.

But I can't review the movie I wish I'd gotten, and the movie I was given is pretty great on its own merits. Charismatic and pleasant from start-to-finish, there's much reason to recommend HIDDEN FIGURES. It's informative, entertaining, funny, and at times, very emotional. Well worth its price of admission, in the case of HIDDEN FIGURES, there's something for everyone here.