Hidden Figures

Hidden Figures

Rating 7 out of 10

I was on the fence on seeing this movie.  I don't really care for any of the lead three female actress's and it seems like the NASA storyline has been beaten to death.  I was wrong on both counts.  The three actress's (Taraji P Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae) all knocked it out of the park. Kevin Costner and Big Bang Theory's Jim Parson also did a good job.

The movie that is "based on a true story" from what I have read up on since turns out to be more true that not.  The story centers around Katherine Johnson and her two friends Dorothy and Mary.  Katherine was a math wiz from grade school who is being underutilized in what is called a computer division before they had actual computers.  They had groups of women that would do math problems all day trying to help NASA recover from the dreaded Russians getting into space before we did.

These ladies were fighting two issues at the time at NASA.  They were female and they were black.  NASA at the time was a white mans club where no women of any color were allowed into any important meetings.  This was also still a time of segregation including separate bathrooms.  Katherine Johnson and supervisor Al Harrison (Costner) help knock down the walls.  Katherine and her impressive math skills played a big part in getting John Glenn and our astronauts into space.

While the movie points out the issues of the day it doesn't beat you over the head with them.  It's more a movie of three women and how hard they worked to be hugely successful.  I was entertained.