Year: 2016
Director: Theodor Melfi
Country: US
Language: English
Well before its 2016 publication, 20th Century Fox had purchased the rights to author Margot Lee Shetterly’s nonfiction book of the same name. Allison Schroeder and Theodor Melfi adapted the material into an accessible screenplay, and Melfi (St. Vincent) directed the picture with a populist mindset. It's a "hurrah hurrah" feel good "American as apple pie" kinda film, that I feel has been given too much praise.
Hidden figures is the story of a team of African-American women mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years (1960's)of the US space program.
There is no doubt that Hidden Figures is an important story to tell, especially in our tumultuous times wherin white supremacy, and the desire to discredit black history, is at an unfortunate high point. Very few people, myself included, were aware of African American women's role in NASA. Perhaps the high point of the film is the charming performance of Taraji P. Henson, Ovtavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae. All three give this film a great deal of humor, airiness and sass.
Unfortunately Hidden Figures is ripe with historical inaccuracy. Spencer's character had already had a supervising role, well before this film's setting. Janelle Monae's character was already an engineer and Taraji's character never had any issue with a "colored" bathroom (among other inaccuracies). I think this drastic of a departure from the truth really does a disservice to the matter-of-fact story that African American women helped put men into space. That would have been a great film on its own, but the drastic changes really sour the experience for me.
While Mel Gibson proudly proclaims "A True Story" in Hacksaw Ridge, Hidden Figures writers think that they have to change their history to make it more accessible to audiences. Trying too hard to be a crowd pleaser, rather than a film with great integrity, I can't claim that this is a "great" film. It's a good popcorn flick to forget about on the drive home. It's history "based on a fictional story".
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