Nominated
Acting, Writing and even Best Picture
Dramatic
Very much a showcase for its three leads
Standout!
Why Taraji P. Henson and Janelle Monáe are getting no attention for this movie I have no idea
Certified Fresh/ Crowd Pleaser
93% on Rotten Tomatoes is no small feet but an A+ on Cinemascore?!?!?!
Rotten Tomatoes 93% Cinemascore: A+
I'm so glad that a movie like Hidden figures has gotten made, and more importantly, that it's good. So many movies nowadays take great stories like this and only do it half credit, getting average talent or only punting in half the heart to get a good turn around at the box office without delivering on its promises. That's what makes Hidden Figures special, its got the talent its got the brain and the direction to make a good movie, not a great movie, but a good one.
So what's the story? If you have seen any of the trailers then you already have a pretty solid idea what's for sale here. Hidden Figures, like the title suggest, tells the stories behind NASA's African American woman who helped John Glenn orbit the earth. Along the way the three protagonist; Katherine (Henson), Dorthy (Spencer) and Mary (Jackson) must overcome adversity in NASA to secure their jobs and prove themselves worthy assets to the space race despite popular prejudices. As the movie says best, NASA is first to launch people into orbit but drags behind in social progress.
Hidden Figures is a great movie when it emphasizes subtlety and focuses on either Katherine working in the midst of the Space Task Group or Mary in her campaign to become an engineer. Dorthy's subplot to become a supervisor by mastering the new IBM on facility isn't boring but by far the most generic subplot of the three (I would dare say Mary's subplot would fall it to generic tendencies too if her performance wasn't so damn charismatic). Speaking about subtlety, there is a great scene involving Katherine, her coworkers, and a coffee pot that really help stab the point across. Unfortunately for every scene like that there was another like the one with Dorthy at a library being told 'We don't want no trouble'. One is intelligent and effective, the other is a bit on the nose. Another positive I should throw in though is the use of set dressing throughout the movie, and as period pieces go, this felt as authentic as possible.
Hidden Figures uses its incredible source material to make a solid movie with some showcase performances. It's absolutely worth the price of admission if your curious and, considering its Cinemascore rating, I'm willing to bet there are others out there who enjoyed it a lot more than me.