Sunday, December 11, 2016

Hidden Figures Movie Review

Taraji P. Henson stars in Hidden Figures

By the Numbers

Rotten Tomatoes Plot: Hidden Figures is the incredible untold story of Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) - brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation's confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big. Directed by Theodore Melfi.


Melfi takes a cutesy approach to an Oscar-worthy true story, settling for countless clichés and easy one-liners in Hidden Figures. It still has its fair share of feel-good moments, and a few chuckles along the way; but the majority of the movie is filled with mathematic formulas (yawn) empty, predictable characters (Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons) and an overall "gee whiz" effect. Monáe and Mahershala Ali are terrific, but they're not in it nearly enough. You "can't get anywhere without the numbers," but it also pays to take chances. Melfi (& company) doesn't take any. The real-life heroes deserve better.

Grade: C