Film: Hidden Figures

GENRE: Drama

RATING: PG for thematic elements
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 7 minutes

STARRING: Taraji P. Henson (Empire, Person of Interest, Top Five)

Octavia Spencer (The Help, Insurgent), Janelle Monae (Moonlight)

DIRECTOR: Theodore Melfi (St. Vincent)

WRITERS: Allison Schroeder (Mean Girls 2) & Melfi (St. Vincent)

PLOT: The untold story about a team of African-American women who helped NASA with important math data for their early launches.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Read an article about the story & it intrigued me.

STORY STUFF: It is an interesting story full of mixed emotions. I feel sad for humanity when I see things like segregation played out. I feel happy when justice prevails and credit is given. I felt a bit confused when they spent a little too much time on their home life. I felt sarcastic when they over-dramatized time-crunch mathematics. All these feelings equal a pretty good time at the theatre.  

ACTING STUFF: I’m not sure why Octavia Spencer is getting all the awards buzz. She’s a good actress and all but I thought Henson nailed her role and Monae was a breath of fresh air.  Kevin Costner (Field of Dreams) plays the stern but soft-hearted boss, a comfortable role for him. Jim Parsons (Big Bang Theory) is still nerdy but doesn’t come off as goofy. And Mahershala Ali (House of Cards, Luke Cage, Moonlight) seems to be everywhere these days and rockin’ it. Overall, some very fine acting. However, Kirsten Dunst didn’t grab me this time around.

ARTISTIC STUFF: I liked the production value of re-creating the sixties. Kind of reminded me of Apollo 13. Not much else to praise or criticize.

VERDICT: Four stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You like history, math, space or a good story
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Oscar Nominee Predictions, The Founder