Hidden Figures (2016)

This is going to be a very short review because I don’t have a lot to say about this movie that hasn’t already been said: it’s fantastic and uplifting and I’m so glad I waited to finally see it in the cinema.

Telling the story of actual real life NASA heroes Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughn who fought stakes much higher than some weird movie villain, let’s be real. We’re talking institutionalized racism and sexism and I guess Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory is kind of irritating (and he’s playing a dialled down version of his Big Bang Theory character, I promise). Director Theodore Melfi never feels like he’s over-manipulating the audience and the story doesn’t feel like a disservice to the real people involved, and it was less white saviour-y than I have come to fear. Sadly, there is definitely an element of it, especially with the character of Johnson’s white boss, whose actions are fictionalized - I understand the addition of drama, and the visual/emotional impact of that bathroom scene, but I think the reality is important in that scenario and even further highlights the severity of marginalisation and isolation. It’s clear who the heroes are here, and in spite of any editorializing, the core cast deliver amazing performances and everything is well shot and well mixed and just smooth. It's a movie that wants to make you laugh and cry and talk about it for days and weeks to follow.

Rating: 9/10 - Just an excellent story told at an excellent time in an excellent way. I wish it hadn’t sought to comfort a white audience so intensely, and while I’m glad that resulted in such broad successes for them, that’s a little bit of a reflection on the state of Hollywood.