Review of Hidden Figures (2016) by Renee S — 26 Mar 2017

Warm and witty performances by Spencer, Henson and Monae, the stoic moral stature Costner plays and unlikable-until-they're-reasonable turns by Dunst and Parsons make Hidden Figures a winner, a piece of unknown history rendered flesh and blood funny, uplifting and never less than entertaining. As Melfi proved in his previous film, St Vincent, he's good with actors and is a competent storyteller, but he can't resist underlining things that are already obvious. At a time when calls for diverse media dominate the industry, Hidden Figures hedges its bets with a family-friendly commercial solution: warm and fuzzy storytelling that's both progressive and safe. For all of its current touchstones, Hidden Figures feels far too late, both in the recognition these women deserve and the filmmakers' goodhearted but dull approach to their stories. Hidden Figures is an earnest movie, but not a very exciting one. The screenplay feels as engineered as a Gemini rocket launch, with every scene and line carefully calculated. The film aims for the stars but might have gone stratospheric if it cooled its jets ever so slightly. Hidden Figures is engaging, entertaining and enlightening -- but by playing fast and loose with historical fact, it risks blunting some of the story's eye-opening emotional force.

VERDICT: "In The Zone" - [Mixed Reaction] These kinds of movies are usually movies that had some good things, but some bad things kept it from being amazing. This rating says buy an ex-rental or a cheap price of the DVD to own. If you consider cinema, ask for people's opinion on the film. (Films that are rated 2.5 or 3 stars).