Review of Hidden Figures (2016) by James H — 20 Feb 2017

Hidden Figures is as close to a perfect movie as I have seen in my time, and in my time I have seen a lot! Where to start? To begin with, it is based on a true story, which coincidentally we are told right at the start.

I haven't gone into any great research to determine if it is 'loosely' based (much like A Perfect Storm, or Pocahontus) or accurately based (like Schindler's List, or Apollo 13), but I am leaning towards the latter.

Not that it should really matter that much, but we all know that once those words (true story) appear on the screen that is the benchmark they are measured against. Anyway, moving on. Let's talk about the cast for a moment.

Taraji P. Henson. Octavia Spencer. Janelle Monáe. Three SUBLIME casting choices. Each of them absolutely owned their characters, and each of them made me both laugh and cry (sometimes, usually, at the same time).

They form this unshakeable triumvirate when they share screen time, and when they are separated to show their own individual stories, they ensured that there was no weak sub-plot. No down time. No wishing for what was off-screen.

They cast a long shadow, and yet somehow even Kevin Costner, Jim Parsons & Kirsten Dunst found some rays of sunshine to spotlight their talents (KC a little moreso than the other two). There are some undeniable similarities to Apollo 13 too, and the Imitation Game and even October Sky.

None of those comparisons are a bad thing in this writer's humble opinion, and if you liked any of those I can guarantee hands down, you will enjoy this film (at least 'almost') as much as I did.

But back to the three ladies. I cannot speak highly enough of them. They may not be suffering the same injustices of the past where the real-life women they portrayed were shamelessly judged by the colour of their skin instead of the content of their character, but like their characters they have probably been undervalued for the same reasons.

Until now, anyway. This is a moment in time where they have let their actions speak much louder than their words ever could, and it is telling us loud and clear to forget what those who went before us believed.

These are not second class citizens, nor are they the weaker sex. These three ladies, like their real-life counterparts, are true heroes. The story we are told simply could not have happened without them.

The challenge that Hollywood must accept as its responsibility, is to provide these and other gifted women, enough strong, sassy, smart fictional characters to allow them to prove that they are every bit the equal or better than the white men who dominate our screens.

It is the only inevitable conclusion.