ROK’s Flicks Review: Hidden Figures

Hidden Figures unfolds during a crucial time in American history: JFK is president, the Cold War is in full freeze, the space race is on, and racial segregation is a fact of life.  Hidden Figures is a great story about three black American women who used their maths and engineering skills to help send John Glenn into orbit in the 1960’s.  

It has humour, sexism and racism but also a celebration of intelligence and teamwork that is a great message for today.  The extraordinary challenges these women overcame to win through will even surprise today’s

These three women are Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe).

Unfortunately, virtually all the men in NASA come out of this movie looking like fools, which is both untrue and unfair when you look at their overall contribution to the space race.

The three main women are relegated to a basement office on NASA’s campus, far away from the action of the space program.   But their ambitions don’t keep them there for long.  Johnson is moved up to the Space Task Group, where she is assigned to check the maths of a team of white men in white shirts, black pants and black ties, headed up by Al Harrison (Kevin Costner). Costner is in great form, with a well-written character who does many great things to help break down barriers, but without the film resorting to the great white hero coming in to save the day, as some films have done in the past.

If you like a little bit of NASA history or if you are a computer software developer (like my son) and you like well-made, enjoyable movies that are a treat for the mind and the heart, then this is the movie for you.  If you grew up in the 1960’s, watching space travel evolving on your little black & white TV in your lounge room, this film is perfect for you.

Period detail is beautifully represented, particularly the clothes, the cars, the B&W TV, and especially watching the installation of an early room-sized IBM computer. However it is the three ladies and seeing them overcome the odds in a time when everything was against them is the inspiring and enjoyable aspect of this very well made, if slightly predictable film.

Johnson, Vaughan and Jackson were trailblazers whose story deserves to be heard. Hidden Figures honours them by making their story an audience-pleaser.

ROKS RATINGS:  4/5 GLASSES OF BUBBLY 

Have you seen Hidden Figures?  Do you agree with Rhonda’s review?  What did you think of the film?

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