Ever since The
Help won a bunch of Oscars a
few years ago there has been a backlash against the sanitized depictions of
racism in Hollywood movies. That's understandable; racism shouldn't ever be
glossed over and it should make the audience uncomfortable to witness it. That
said, a movie like Hidden
Figures, a sweet, somewhat trite charmer about three under-appreciated
women in the realms of space exploration and civil rights, tells such an
important story that as many people as possible should see it. How's the saying
go? "You attract more flies with honey..."?
Hidden Figures celebrates the story of three African-American
mathematicians; Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan
(Octavia Spencer, also of The
Help) and Mary Jackson (soul singer Janelle Monae), who were instrumental
in NASA's space exploration activities during the Cold War. It's a story almost
nobody had ever heard of, including writer/director Ted Melfi (of the equally
saccharine St. Vincent), until Margot Lee Shetterley's eye-opening novel. Set
at a time when the Russians were kicking our butt in the space race, and the
civil rights movement was just gaining traction, the film occupies an
interesting space for African-Americans. On the one hand, how practical is it
to look towards the stars when there's oppression taking place right here at
home? That idea is driven home early on when all three ladies have a car
breakdown while on the drive to work at Langley, and they are approached by a
white cop with an attitude. Of course he's suspicious at these three black
women claiming to work for NASA, but they eventually turn the tables on him and
end up with a police escort to work. It's the entire movie in a microcosm,
while also subtly making the point that the tension between blacks and police
hasn't changed much in fifty years.
The trio faces
discrimination on multiple fronts. Being a woman is enough of a roadblock to any
advancement in NASA's all-boys club, but being a black woman makes it nearly impossible.
Melfi draws out his characters in broad strokes, both the heroes we'll be
championing and those who stand opposed. Johnson is quiet; a gifted
intellectual known as "The Computer", and a single mother trying to
make things meet. It's a change of pace role for Henson, especially if you're
used to seeing her moxie on Empire every week. Vaughn is the tough
one and a natural leader vying for a supervisor position she's more than
qualified for. And Jackson has an eye on becoming an engineer, something no
woman at NASA had ever done before.
These women were
the brains behind the launch that sent the late John Glenn (played by a
constantly smirking Glenn Powell) into orbit, but because of their skin color
those accomplishments remained in shadow. The film is about how they came to
change hearts and minds within NASA by displaying their worth on a regular
basis, even when it made others around them uncomfortable. The centerpiece
character is Johnson, who ends up working alongside the Space Task Force's chief,
Al Harris (Kevin Costner), a gruff, no-b.s. kind of guy who only cares about
the work and beating those Russkies. We expect he'll be one of the main
antagonists but instead that role falls to Jim Parsons and Kirsten Dunst, who
shade their characters with enough grey to keep them from becoming total
caricatures.
Melfi is a
seasoned vet at exactly this kind of material; lightweight but with a strong,
endearing message that audiences can't help but respond to. So you aren't going
to find anything too ugly here; other than dirty looks and condescending
comments hurled at the women. The most unfair example of their segregation is
mostly played for laughs as Johnson must run miles to the nearest "Blacks
Only" restroom, Pharrell's distracting '60s track "Runnin'"
playing in the background. This does eventually give way to the film's
centerpiece emotional breakthrough when Johnson is questioned about her long
breaks, a powerful moment that will almost certainly air when Henson is
nominated for Best Actress. Spencer is of course terrific; I think we've
reached the point where she can always be counted on to give an excellent,
down-to-earth performance. But the standout has to be Monae, who along with her
unforgettable turn in Moonlight is having the kind of year any
actor would kill for. Her Moonlight co-star Mahershala Ali also has a
solid role as a military man who comes around to realizing what an amazing
woman Johnson is. While it's not his movie, Costner shouldn't be overlooked
just because the brusque character he's playing is kind of what we expect from
him. Costner's just so good at it that he fits in with the film's lighter tone
seamlessly.
Ironically for a
movie about a bunch of math nerds, Hidden
Figures simplifies the
solutions for these pioneering women. However, it's also a movie that pays
worthy tribute to their brilliance and determination in the face of
overwhelming social odds, and does so in a way that engages emotionally.
The film also reminds us there used to be a time when being an expert,
being intellectual, was something to be rewarded for, not held up as a sign of
elitism. The women of Hidden
Figures overcame the
prejudice in front of them by being the best, and that's a lesson that is
always worth teaching.
Rating: 3 out of 5
