It's a NASA biopic of three African American mathematicians set in Hampton, Virginia, in 1926 and 1961/62. The movie begins by showing the young Katherine Gobel Johnson (Lidya Jewett/Taraji P. Henson) as a precocious student with exceptional mathematical skills. We then meet Katherine, Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), who work as "computers" at the Langley Research Center operated by NASA in Hampton, Virginia. They do mathematical calculations related to NASA's early efforts at space travel before computers took over this work.
The three women face severe hindrances in Virginia's still-segregated work environment. Katherine works in an all-male Space Task Group run by Al Harrison (Kevin Costner) and Paul Stafford (Jim Parsons). Dorothy does the work of a supervisor but is not recognized as such. To stay employable, Dorothy learns Fortran to program the soon-arriving IBM computer. Mary works on the heat shield team and wants to attend university extension classes at an all-white high school.
The film follows each of them in their quest, with particular emphasis on Katherine, who becomes a key figure in planning John Glenn's (Jim Powell) first trip into space.
"Hidden Figures" is a PG feel-good film about three brave women. It significantly exaggerates conflicts to make them more impressive. Dorothy was already a supervisor by 1949. Katharine never had to go to another building for a colored washroom; she used "white" washrooms from the beginning. Katharine was a permanent member of the Space Task Force by 1958, co-authoring reports and attending meetings. Mary Jackson did not have to go to court to take the courses she wanted. These are only some of the historical liberties taken.
Henson, Spencer, and Monáe work well together in their characters. Some subplots and characters are extraneous. Kevin Costner plays, as usual, Kevin Costner.
The three women face severe hindrances in Virginia's still-segregated work environment. Katherine works in an all-male Space Task Group run by Al Harrison (Kevin Costner) and Paul Stafford (Jim Parsons). Dorothy does the work of a supervisor but is not recognized as such. To stay employable, Dorothy learns Fortran to program the soon-arriving IBM computer. Mary works on the heat shield team and wants to attend university extension classes at an all-white high school.
The film follows each of them in their quest, with particular emphasis on Katherine, who becomes a key figure in planning John Glenn's (Jim Powell) first trip into space.
"Hidden Figures" is a PG feel-good film about three brave women. It significantly exaggerates conflicts to make them more impressive. Dorothy was already a supervisor by 1949. Katharine never had to go to another building for a colored washroom; she used "white" washrooms from the beginning. Katharine was a permanent member of the Space Task Force by 1958, co-authoring reports and attending meetings. Mary Jackson did not have to go to court to take the courses she wanted. These are only some of the historical liberties taken.
Henson, Spencer, and Monáe work well together in their characters. Some subplots and characters are extraneous. Kevin Costner plays, as usual, Kevin Costner.