Hidden Figures (2016)

The story of a team of female African-American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program.

Director:

Theodore Melfi

Writers:

Allison Schroeder (screenplay by), Theodore Melfi (screenplay by)

Stars:

Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 37 wins & 85 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Taraji P. Henson	...	Katherine G. Johnson
Octavia Spencer	...	Dorothy Vaughan
Janelle Monáe	...	Mary Jackson
Kevin Costner	...	Al Harrison
Kirsten Dunst	...	Vivian Mitchell
Jim Parsons	...	Paul Stafford
Mahershala Ali	...	Colonel Jim Johnson
Aldis Hodge	...	Levi Jackson
Glen Powell	...	John Glenn
Kimberly Quinn	...	Ruth
Olek Krupa	...	Karl Zielinski
Kurt Krause	...	Sam Turner
Ken Strunk	...	Jim Webb
Lidya Jewett	...	Young Katherine Coleman
Donna Biscoe	...	Mrs. Joylette Coleman

Storyline

As the United States raced against Russia to put a man in space, NASA found untapped talent in a group of African-American female mathematicians that served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in U.S. history. Based on the unbelievably true life stories of three of these women, known as "human computers", we follow these women as they quickly rose the ranks of NASA alongside many of history's greatest minds specifically tasked with calculating the momentous launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, and guaranteeing his safe return. Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and Katherine Gobels Johnson crossed all gender, race, and professional lines while their brilliance and desire to dream big, beyond anything ever accomplished before by the human race, firmly cemented them in U.S. history as true American heroes.

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Plot Keywords:

1960s | nasa | space program | segregation | african american | 

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Taglines:

Based on the untold true story

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements and some language

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is Kirsten Dunst's highest grossing film in the United States outside of the Spider-Man (2002) franchise.

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Goofs

Both a 1959 Plymouth Fury and a 1962 Chevy Nova (already an anachronism since it is set in 1961) appear in the NASA parking lot wearing aftermarket wheels not available at the time.

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Quotes

Dorothy Vaughan: [At a church picnic, speaking about Colonel Jim Johnson while fixing plates at the food table] I hear he's planning on staying in the area.
Katherine Johnson: Well... Well, that's good for him.
Mary Jackson: [Looking at Colonel Johnson, who is talking with a group of men] Katherine, go find your way over there. That Colonel Jim is a tall glass of water.
Dorothy Vaughan: That he is. Tall, strong, commanding.
Katherine Johnson: Oh...
Mary Jackson: And I bet he's like that day and night.
Katherine Johnson: Mary, it's Sunday.
[Mary scoffs]
Katherine Johnson: Please have some shame.
Mary Jackson: I will not.
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Taraji P. Henson/Jon Glaser/Run the Jewels (2017)

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Soundtracks

You're A Grand Old Flag
Written by George M. Cohan
Performed by The United States Air Force Band (as United States Air Force Band)
Courtesy of Altissimo! and Naxos
By arrangement with Source/Q

User Reviews

Major Feel-Good Movie, just gets better as it goes along

In the opinion of this reviewer, an extraordinary achievement.

The characters on which the film is based were special and unique on their own, and well deserving of the sort of semi-documentary films that Hollywood likes to serve up.

However, to take that story and bump it up to a major "feel-good film" that engages the viewer from the getgo and does not let up until the very end of its 2 hour and 5 minute running time, THAT is what elevates this project to greatness.

I want to be clear on this because it is important. There are two ways to do a feel-good film. One is (ironically!) by the numbers, using proved plot arcs and other script devices to make it work. An example of this for example is the latest Disney release MOANA which has taken some heat from critics for being derivative and not original. But that, you see, is the tried and true method to achieve the effect that the producers wanted. And it works.

The other way to make a film engaging and fun is to use your instincts and your actors to get the most from each scene. No rule book, no fixed way of doing a scene, just doing what works. This is, I believe the way that writer/director Theodore Melfi set out to do Hidden Figures, and boy did he pull it off! The acting is stellar. Costner has matured in his latest film roles and his work here is as far from the nonsense he used to do (like the dreaded Robin Hood) as the earth is from the sun.

Taraji P. Henson finally lands a great role, the kind of role she was looking for when she left the hit series Person of Interest a tad early.

And every good film or TV series needs a character who is "the glue" or a reference point that the viewer can use, like a compass needle, to see where we are in the main story. Here Octavia Spencer gives the performance of her life as that "glue" and helps the director to pace the film.

Highly recommended.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 January 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hidden Figures

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$515,499, 25 December 2016

Gross USA:

$169,607,287

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$235,956,898

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox 2000 Pictures, Chernin Entertainment, Levantine Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS (DTS: X) Auro 11.1 SDDS

Color:

Color Black and White (some sequences)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1