Hidden Figures opened in limited release on Christmas Day and recently expanded nationwide last weekend pulling in about $25 million. I’m here to say it truly deserved every cent of it. It’s a story of how three women broke tradition and changed the standards of NASA forever.
It tells the true story of three black women in Virginia who worked in the Langley Research Center. Taraji P. Henson stars as Katherine Goble, a mathematical genius, Octavia Spencer as her supervisor and friend Dorothy Vaughan and Janelle Monae as an aspiring engineer. Together the three of them work separately along with other black women during the racially charged time of 1962.
Kevin Costner stars as Al Harrison, the director of the Space Task Group, and Goble has been reassigned to his offices due to her math skills. She’s first greeted with hostility and uncertainty due to the color of her skin, but once her work is put into effect, she gradually wins the respect of her peers. Henson does an amazing job in the role especially when her character has to run half a mile to use the bathroom in order to do her work. Costner’s character has a moment that involves a bathroom sign that will no doubt generate big applause from audiences.
The three women finally work together to help John Glenn become the first man to orbit the Earth and help defeat the Russians.
What you get in Hidden Figures is a portrait of three people who have to overcome insurmountable odds to simply do their jobs and be taken seriously. The performances here are all first-rate and there’s also some effective supporting work from the likes of Kirsten Dunst and Jim Parsons.
It’s also a reminder of the more things change, the more things stay the same. The message of racial equality is still very much prevalent and speaks volumes to today’s audiences. It’s a funny, tender, complex film.
No matter the color or creed, this movie shows us that we can work together in order to achieve great things. Like a space station, this movie does nothing but soar.
Grade: A-
(Rated PG for thematic elements and some language.)
