Review of Hidden Figures (2016) by S B — 03 Mar 2017

The Math Adds up in Hidden Figures.

Director Ted Melfi expertly tells a feel-good, heroic, story about a group of African-American women that lived through a time-period of persecution and discrimination in the movie Hidden Figures.  The cast does a brilliant job of portraying the three main characters and are lead by a strong, humorous, performance from Janelle Monáe, who plays the character Mary.  Janelle Monáe, of singer/songwriter fame, lands her first lead role in a film, and does not disappoint. Aside from Monáe, the supporting actors portrayed their character's and relationships perfectly.

The story itself follows three African-American women as they overcome prejudice and discrimination to help NASA create the mathematical calculations to send a rocket into space. One particular scene of the film that was very triumphant was when Kevin Costner, Al Harrison in the film, explains how Katherine leaving everyday for such a long period is taking away from her work. What he is unaware of is that she was having to run a half an hour to the colored bathroom because there wasn't a bathroom "for her" in this building. After realizing how outrageous this was, Al Harrison is seen taking a baseball bat to the colored bathroom sign and exclaims "Here at NASA, we all pee the same color!" Katherine's drive and remarkable intelligence made her stand out which in turn showed how ridiculous she was being treated on a daily basis. Al Harrison as a person in power was changed because of how valuable Katherine was. This particular scene was iconic and a turning point in the film. Katherine went from being a "computer" to someone who was leading the way for the rest of the program. Despite many failed attempts, the women overcome their struggles and celebrate in succeeding their goal. Hidden Figures uses simple charm and a great story to be a crowd-pleaser for all. .

Unlike many Hollywood movies, Hidden Figures did not need expensive sets or special-effects, as the story is enough to capture the audience's attention for two hours all on its own.  The story lacks originality, using the same underdog rising to triumph story of many films, but the film makes up for it with it's characters' charms and a well-told true story.