Hidden Figures (2017)

Review

127min

Genre:      Fact-based, Drama

Director:   Theodore Melfi

Cast:        Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe…and more

Writers:    Allison Schroeder, Theodore Melfi and Margot Lee Shetterly

-Synopsis-

A biographical drama centred around the important but overlooked role of African-American women in the early US space program during the 1960s, including the work and struggles of physicist and brilliant mathematician Katherine G. Johnson who made a major contribution to Project Mercury and the early NASA space missions, putting Americans in space and eventually man on the moon.

After last year’s controversy over the lack of diversity at award shows and a year of seemingly deepening racial division in the US, writer/director Theodore Melfi provides his positive response by adapting Margot Lee Shetterly’s book and shining a light on extraordinary but forgotten women, who were instrumental in the all-important American Space program at a time when it couldn’t have been more unlikely, in this patriotic story of empowerment where the light of humanity conquers the darkness and society prevails.

Taraji P. Henson stars as Katherine Johnson, Octavia Spencer as Dorothy Vaughan and Janelle Monáe as Mary Jackson, three talented black women working as ‘computers’ for NASA in Virginia during the early 60s (before they used the electronic variety), trying  to progress at a crossroads in American science while struggling with the realities of a still segregated state. But when the US loses ground the ‘space race’ with the Soviets and requires pioneering analytic geometry, Johnson becomes an unlikely but crucial cog in the machine that sends Americans into space while Vaughan and Monáe carve their own important roles, proving that skin colour is no barrier to humanity’s progression in this feelgood  historical yet timely tale about the power of unity.

Making a compelling film based on true events where mathematicians and scientists are the heroes is no easy feat, and Melfi does well to avoid dwelling on the nuts & bolts of the real operation while telling human stories which heavily leverage the social significance of them being black women in a white male-dominated world. And underneath the core drama there’s also the task of bringing a brief little history lesson on the politics of the ‘space race’ to the screen, while abridging the fascinating story of the eventful early days in the US space program… all sprinkled with plenty of Hollywood fairy dust of course.

Henson turns in a solid lead performance as the demure but determined mathematical prodigy and aptly dubbed ‘human computer’ Johnson, while singer-turned-actor Janelle Monáe continues to impress as the youngest and most rebellious of the talented trio, but not for the first time it’s Octavia Spencer who steals the show for us as the group’s ‘mother hen’ by providing the understated dignity and humanity, in what is essentially a rather typical Hollywood melodrama. They’re backed by an accomplished supporting cast which include Kevin Costner as the stern but encouraging mission chief, as well as Jim Parsons and Kirsten Dunst as less welcoming NASA colleagues.

‘Hidden Figures’ certainly looks & sounds the part too, well shot by cinematographer Mandy Walker while the impeccable production design captures the distinct dress styles and unique NASA environments of the time. Meanwhile pop superstar Pharrell Williams provides a contemporary soundtrack to convey the film’s ethos, while collaborating with maestro Hans Zimmer and composer Benjamin Wallfisch on the film’s sonic heartbeat… the score.

In spite of all its interest components however, ‘Hidden Figures’ is fatally hindered by an approach and execution which puts it square in the realm of predictable true-story Hollywood melodrama. Unlike many of the other dramas in award contention this year, Melfi’s film has no real dramatic edge and is a tame and unapologetically uplifting crowd-pleaser, in itself a noble endeavour in these troubled times but the resulting spectacle is predictable and quick to take plenty of artistic license, underwhelming the nature of the more fascinating real story behind the drama.

Even the film’s name is a bit of a misnomer in 2017 as the book’s author herself admits, being that the story has been told and the women celebrated by NASA for years, albeit without the reach of a major motion picture, making them more ‘unseen figures’ rather than hidden. With its underwhelming narrative flow and a convenient box-ticking approach to pertinent social issues like female empowerment and diversity, ‘Hidden Figures’ is disappointingly broad drama which feels like a very well crafted big-budget TV movie.

But despite all of its shortcomings as compelling drama, this is still a true story… and a fascinating one at that, and we can surely overlook some execution issues and narrative choices for a positive and feelgood story that brings people together. Ultimately what ‘Hidden Figures’ does best is also what cinema has the power to do, bring extraordinary stories to the masses and perhaps move the needle on society, if only ever so slightly. But for anyone who might want a bigger cinematic picture on the space race we would recommend 1983’s ‘The Right Stuff’ as a companion piece, a film about the intrepid men who reached for the stars, to go with this film about the pioneering women who made it possible.

The Bottom Line…

Although too broad and safe to make for an unforgettable drama or bring to life an extraordinary true story of empowerment in engrossing fashion; ‘Hidden Figures‘ has enough charm, craft and accomplished performances to make it an enjoyable little history lesson with an uplifting message of unity and an example of what the human race can accomplish when we come together… thanks to the extraordinary real women who inspired it.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

The Right Stuff (1983)

Philip Kaufman’s Oscar-winning biographical drama about the self-styled and daring US pilots who would become America’s first astronauts during NASA’s early days, at the height of the cold war and the ‘space race’ against the Soviets.

Directed by Philip Kaufman and starring Sam Shepard, Scott Glenn and Ed Harris among others.

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