Watching Hidden Figures through the first twenty-five minutes will tell you all you need to know about why it won Strongest Cast at the SAG Awards. The film is filled with extremely powerful moments that carried the movie at times. You can't pull that off or come close without a quality cast.
One scene in particular occurs between Taraji P. Henson (playing the role of math genius Katherine Johnson) and Kevin Costner (as Al Harrison). Without ruining the film for future viewers, it's a scene where Katherine has had enough of EVERYTHING and she finally decides to let the world have it. Henson's emotion behind her strong performance really has a way of stirring something up in the audience. That scene was a pivotal moment in the film and it wouldn't have been nearly as effective without the acting of Henson and Costner.
Katherine is one of the three women powering this film along with Dorothy Vaughn (Octavia Spencer) and the smart and sassy Mary Jackson played by Janelle Monae. Unbeknownst to me before viewing the movie, these three women were crucial to the launching of astronaut John Glenn into orbit. Hidden Figures is the story of these three womens' struggle to make a difference during an era where being black and being a woman meant two strikes in the at-bat of life.
Who are we kidding, though? Fifty-five years later and that's still the case.
While I didn't live in the '60's (nor would I have wanted to), I feel like Hidden Figures excelled at capturing the essence of the era. I'm not just referring to the style of dress, the cars, and the buildings although all of that set the stage as well. Rather I'm speaking to all of the issues that were going on at the time with race and segregation. In one scene, Dorothy is walking down the street with her children while a segregation protest is happening right across that same street. It's a race for equality and unity and everyone is doing their part. While the three main characters aren't on the front lines of the protests, they are fighting in their own way for blacks and women by not only doing their jobs to the best of their ability, but doing them better than everyone else.
While the movie brings the serious issues of race and inequality to the forefront, there are plenty of funny moments that enhance its entertainment value. My one minute gripe that I have with all movies that are based on a true story: You know how the story ends. The lack of mystery does little to detract from the overall effectiveness of the film, though.
On a final note, I was really impressed by the performance of Janelle Monae. I love her music, but we all know that being an incredible singer doesn't always translate to acting on the big screen. I definitely hope to see her in more roles in the future.
Hidden Figures is a must-see movie for 2017. I give it an 86.
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