Year: 2017
Director: Theodore Melfi
Starring: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, and Jim Parsons
Tagline: Meet the women you don't know behind the mission you do.
Synopsis: During the dawn of the space race, three black women helped NASA put America into orbit.
Tagline: Meet the women you don't know behind the mission you do.
Synopsis: During the dawn of the space race, three black women helped NASA put America into orbit.
Review
It takes quite a movie to unseat Rogue One from the top of the box office. Hidden Figures is quite a movie and deserving of that honor. It's inspiring, fun, engrossing, and all around well made.
Films like this are really interesting in that they take what to me is history and make it come alive. For me, Sputnik as the first satellite and Yuri Gagarin as the first man in space are facts recorded in history books. I also know about Neil Armstrong setting foot on the moon, thus "winning" the space race with Russia. To me there's nothing dramatic about those things. They're a historical given. Not so in the world of the film, where there is very much a "How could we let this happen?!" mentality as the Russians send first Sputnik then Gagarin into space while NASA sputters. Adding to my mentality shift, I saw the movie with mom who was in college during the time portrayed in the film. She remembers listening to the radio and watching the television as these events unfolded.
Any film that can make history come to life in an exciting and fresh way gets points from me.
Of course Hidden Figures is about more than the space race. The film strikes a good balance in terms of its portrayal of the segregated realities of l960s Virginia. It never feels heavy handed. But it also doesn't feel like it pulls any punches. While there were plenty of times when I could only shake my head in frustration at some of the idiotic actions and words of some people, overall the film has a sense of hope and of moving forward with unified purpose.
The growing movement led by Martin Luther King is mentioned a few times during the film. But the underlying message of the story is that the world isn't changed just by men like Doctor King. It's changed by the "hidden figures" who live their lives and do their jobs with not only character and decency, but with purpose, gumption, and brilliance. The more Katherine shines, the more other characters are forced to recognize her efforts and contributions. The same is true of Dorothy and Mary.
It is the characters that make Hidden Figures shine. Katherine, Dorothy, and Mary are all inspiring women. They are intelligent, hardworking, tell-it-like-it-is women who also each have a good sense of humor. I suppose you'd have to have a good sense of humor to put up with some of the nonsense they deal with. The supporting characters also do a good job, especially the oft-exasperated Al Harrison (Kevin Costner) whose head is in space and can't always fathom the division going on here on earth.
My only critique of the film is that it felt a bit slow during the scenes with Colonel Jim Johnson and Katherine's courtship. As part of Katherine's story, it makes sense to include it. But it sometimes felt as though the film-makers weren't entirely sure what to do with those scenes other than fit them in.
Hidden Figures is rated PG and has some mild swearing. There were moments of injustice where I wanted to shout "C'mon!" at the screen. But there were more moments where I wanted to cheer at the triumphs. Do yourself a favor and go see this excellent film.
*** Spoiler Section ***
As I said above, Hidden Figures never feels heavy handed, including in its resolutions. For example, for most of the film Paul Stafford (Jim Parsons) has been standoffish (at best) toward Katherine. Rather than end their arc with some forced apology, we see two small yet meaningful actions. First he lets her add her name next to his on a report (something he adamantly refuses during previous attempts). Second, he brings her a cup of coffee. We see that his views have changed. That is more powerful than a trite speech.
I have two favorite scenes in the movie. The first is when Dorothy triumphantly marches all her "West Area" ladies from their segregated building to across the campus and into the shiny new IBM computer room. The other is when Al Harrison throws open a door, shouts Katherine's name as she dejectedly heads down a hall, and holds up a security badge to her. Those moments deserve far more cheers than any superhero saving a city. Those moments -- or at least similar moments -- actually happened. Those moments change lives. And slowly but surely, they change the world.
Okay, my third favorite scene is the IBM people having to explain that the brand new computers they are delivering don't fit through the doors to the room. All Al Harrison can come up with is "use the big hammer" to tear down the doorframe. #ProblemsofProgress
Films like this are really interesting in that they take what to me is history and make it come alive. For me, Sputnik as the first satellite and Yuri Gagarin as the first man in space are facts recorded in history books. I also know about Neil Armstrong setting foot on the moon, thus "winning" the space race with Russia. To me there's nothing dramatic about those things. They're a historical given. Not so in the world of the film, where there is very much a "How could we let this happen?!" mentality as the Russians send first Sputnik then Gagarin into space while NASA sputters. Adding to my mentality shift, I saw the movie with mom who was in college during the time portrayed in the film. She remembers listening to the radio and watching the television as these events unfolded.
Any film that can make history come to life in an exciting and fresh way gets points from me.
Of course Hidden Figures is about more than the space race. The film strikes a good balance in terms of its portrayal of the segregated realities of l960s Virginia. It never feels heavy handed. But it also doesn't feel like it pulls any punches. While there were plenty of times when I could only shake my head in frustration at some of the idiotic actions and words of some people, overall the film has a sense of hope and of moving forward with unified purpose.
The growing movement led by Martin Luther King is mentioned a few times during the film. But the underlying message of the story is that the world isn't changed just by men like Doctor King. It's changed by the "hidden figures" who live their lives and do their jobs with not only character and decency, but with purpose, gumption, and brilliance. The more Katherine shines, the more other characters are forced to recognize her efforts and contributions. The same is true of Dorothy and Mary.
It is the characters that make Hidden Figures shine. Katherine, Dorothy, and Mary are all inspiring women. They are intelligent, hardworking, tell-it-like-it-is women who also each have a good sense of humor. I suppose you'd have to have a good sense of humor to put up with some of the nonsense they deal with. The supporting characters also do a good job, especially the oft-exasperated Al Harrison (Kevin Costner) whose head is in space and can't always fathom the division going on here on earth.
My only critique of the film is that it felt a bit slow during the scenes with Colonel Jim Johnson and Katherine's courtship. As part of Katherine's story, it makes sense to include it. But it sometimes felt as though the film-makers weren't entirely sure what to do with those scenes other than fit them in.
Hidden Figures is rated PG and has some mild swearing. There were moments of injustice where I wanted to shout "C'mon!" at the screen. But there were more moments where I wanted to cheer at the triumphs. Do yourself a favor and go see this excellent film.
*** Spoiler Section ***
As I said above, Hidden Figures never feels heavy handed, including in its resolutions. For example, for most of the film Paul Stafford (Jim Parsons) has been standoffish (at best) toward Katherine. Rather than end their arc with some forced apology, we see two small yet meaningful actions. First he lets her add her name next to his on a report (something he adamantly refuses during previous attempts). Second, he brings her a cup of coffee. We see that his views have changed. That is more powerful than a trite speech.
I have two favorite scenes in the movie. The first is when Dorothy triumphantly marches all her "West Area" ladies from their segregated building to across the campus and into the shiny new IBM computer room. The other is when Al Harrison throws open a door, shouts Katherine's name as she dejectedly heads down a hall, and holds up a security badge to her. Those moments deserve far more cheers than any superhero saving a city. Those moments -- or at least similar moments -- actually happened. Those moments change lives. And slowly but surely, they change the world.
Okay, my third favorite scene is the IBM people having to explain that the brand new computers they are delivering don't fit through the doors to the room. All Al Harrison can come up with is "use the big hammer" to tear down the doorframe. #ProblemsofProgress
Quotable Quotes
- "We can't justify a space program that doesn't put anything in space." -- NASA big wig
- "Use whatever bathroom you want, preferably one close to your desk" -- Al Harrison to Katherine after he has torn down the "colored" ladies room sign
- "Yes, they let women do some things at NASA, Mr. Johnson. And it's not because we wear skirts. It's because we wear glasses." -- Katherine to Jim
- "There is no protocol for women attending." "There's no protocol for a man circling the Earth either, sir." -- Paul and Katherine
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