Hidden Figures

In terms of racism-themed films, you can organize them along a feel-good/feel-sorry spectrum. An example of a feel-good movie is "Remember the Titans" and an example of a film on the feel-sorry side of the spectrum would be "The Butler". I would place "Hidden Figures" on the middle of the spectrum alongside "The Help". There were moments of victory in "Hidden Figures" for the protagonists but they were not balanced with the setbacks they had to endure in the movie. It is important to show setbacks but I feel racism-themed films these days are too concerned with making society feel guilty about its past. The acting in this film was great on all fronts as evidenced by its win at the Screen Actors Guild Awards for Best Ensemble Cast. The story was entertaining and that is what is most important.

To pick up where I left off, I feel that movies in this genre should focus less on how bad things were and put more attention on the progress being made back in that era. Some pessimists might say that racism is still a huge problem but I say if you focus too much on what you left behind, you can never see what lies ahead (I stole that from "Ratatouille" by the way). The point is that "Hidden Figures" portrayed a lot of hindrances for Katherine, Dorothy and Mary and it felt like one or two too many. There was one scene in the movie that I feel sums up the why racism is still a problem in today's society. When Dorothy is about to leave the bathroom, Vivian clarifies to Dorothy that she has no hatred towards African Americans. Dorothy's response to this implies that Vivian has yet to prove what she claims. Vivian later makes Dorothy a supervisor so there is truth to what Dorothy pointed out but I believe that true reconciliation goes both ways. One person must sincerely say "I'm sorry" and the other must honestly reply, "I forgive you". In the scene in the bathroom, neither woman did this. Vivian wasn't truly sorry and Dorothy wasn't willing to take the higher road by acknowledging the progress in their relationship. Today it seems that despite all the progress we have made, a small percentage of people will not let go of the past. Racists continue to be racist in secret and that mistakenly gives permission for a few of those being persecuted to be bitter, even towards those honestly seeking friendship and contrition. We must all work together to be rid of this problem once and for all. If we all took the high road, those still on the low road would hopefully feel guilty and repent.

Not only do the protagonists have to deal with the issue of racism though, they also have to deal with chauvinism from all sides. I was hoping for resolution scene between Katherine and Paul where Paul verbal apologizes. This doesn't happen and it would have been nice to know if he was racist or a chauvinist or both because the story doesn't clarify. He also could have been simply proud of his work and not willing to let anyone correct or outshine him. We get to know the thought process of every character except Paul and that was a flaw in the film. All we know is that he has something against Katherine but we never found out exactly what. Fortunately, "Hidden Figures" has a good climax overall and each of the three women find victory in their endeavors. I liked how Katherine's run between the divisions of the research center to use the bathroom throughout the film is reprised when she must run to deliver her confirmations. The film's epilogue mentions that John Glenn's orbit was a turning point in the Space Race. I disagree. Even though what Glenn accomplished was very important in helping the US eventually win the Space Race, a turning point is when one side shows up the other side for the first time. The Soviets were in first place for most of the race up until Apollo 8 took the first humans in orbit around the moon. That in my opinion was the turning point, paving the way for the moonlanding mission of Apollo 11.

As mentioned, the acting in "Hidden Figures" is very noteworthy. Taraji P. Henson's best scene is when she speaks out to Al about her difficulties at work and how they hold her back. Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer is good in any role it seems and I wanted her to win her second Academy Award for her role as Dorothy. Kevin Costner was really good at portraying Al Harrison as a man who isn't a racist or a chauvinist but a workaholic. That prevents his character from seeing how injustices at NASA are holding everyone back in the Space Race. I completely failed to recognize Kirsten Dunst in this show and so that may be a testament to her performance. I think her hairstyle also had something to do with it. It was also nice to see Jim Parsons. I would have liked to have seen more of Mahershala Ali as Jim Johnson. Ali did great in his role and had amazing chemistry with Henson. I think the film would have been better with more scenes between them. Both Henson and Ali by the way were in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". Despite the attention "Hidden Figures" received on Oscar night, the movie failed to win Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress (Spencer) or Best Adapted Screenplay. Mahershala Ali did win an Oscar on that night for another role however. I think a lot of people will enjoy "Hidden Figures". It had a great untold story and the performances were impressive. I just didn't feel as good as I was hoping to feel by the end of the film. I want us to overcome social issues like the ones we see portrayed in "Hidden Figures" and it is hard to feel hope for that when the challenges that the protagonists face outnumber the victories.

3.5 out of 5 Stars