Hidden Figures tells the story of three African-American women working for NASA in the 1960s. Katherine Goble (Taraji P. Henson) is a computer who gets an assignment working for/with the men coming up with the math to put a man in space and back on Earth. Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) is attempting to get a supervisor job for the "Colored Computers" department while also making sure the department doesn't become obsolete after the purchase of an IBM computer. Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) aspires to be a NASA engineer despite the qualifications continually being moved out of her reach. All three woman are incredibly smart and capable, only being held back because of their race and gender.
One look at a Wikipedia article tells you things ended up pretty well for them. What the movie does well is showing how they go about getting these happy endings. Katherine continually proves her value by working twice as hard as the men in the room with twice the obstacles. Dorothy finds a way to make herself indispensable to NASA. Mary confidently creates a path to get the job she wants. It's impossible not to root for them to succeed. And the people in their way aren't just a bunch of racists. It's a system that's rigged against the them and there's people afraid of change for all sorts of reasons. Vivian Mitchell (Kirsten Dunst) is Dorothy's primary obstacle to becoming a supervisor by simply dismissing her, not hating her. Paul Stafford (Jim Parsons) is against Katherine because he feels threatened by her, so he's happy to let the rules holding her back stay in place. Like in real life, most of the discrimination they face is subtler (but obvious). I don't even think the N-word was used in the film. There are some pretty ugly things that happen, but the film is more concerned with smaller victories that build up than any one big moment.
Henson is the de facto lead in the movie and she does fine work. It's a mostly restrained role, but when she gets to erupt, you feel it. Spencer and Monae both get moments to shine as well. Spencer certainly reminded me why that Oscar win for The Help wasn't a fluke, and Monae is having a helluva year between this and Moonlight. Kevin Costner, as the head of NASA* has a good mix of "white savior" and demanding, no-nonesense boss to him that works just right. Dunst and Parsons are able to play the heels without ever being villainous. It's a very impressive ensemble.
*Maybe not his official title, but that's sure how it's presented in the film.
The story is familiar, which is somewhat unavoidable. There's only so many ways to tell a civil rights story of this sort. As with most movies, what sets it apart is how well it's done. It shifts the focus between the three women in just the right amounts. The movie never feels sorry for them or wallows in the injustice. It assumes the audience is smart enough to know what things are wrong, which allows the film to focus on what's so impressive about the women instead. The side story with Katherine falling in love with a National Guard Colonel played by Mahershala Ali felt unnecessary. I'm also wondering if John Glenn (played here by Glen Powell) really was this saintly and likable, or if the screenwriter just really likes him. Those are small gripes or quirks though.
Hidden Figures is exactly the movie I expected it would be. It's not a groundbreaking achievement in film making or anything. It is completely enjoyable to watch though, and that's enough. It's far better than I expected from the director of the uneven St. Vincent, although I can see some shared DNA in the tone. It's perhaps the least conflicted crowd-pleaser in the likely Oscar field this year and it will be hard to find an audience that it doesn't work for. It didn't blow me away. That's about the strongest thing I can say against it.
Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend
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