Great Movie

Rating: 10/10 (5 February 2017)

I don't know why a lot of people seem to be so threatened by a movie with three African-American female leads, but by the looks of some of these reviews that literally seems to be the case. As someone else already stated, African-American women are hardly ever shown in a positive light on television. This movie showcases the pivotal role that three Black women, Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) played in the NASA space race between The United States and Russia to get the first astronaut out of space, and seeing as how most Black people's roles have been conveniently left out, or erased entirely from our history. This was an important story that needed to be told. Therefore, if you're wondering what the big deal is, that is the big deal!
I'm sorry (not sorry) that Kristen Dunst's character was not the STAR of this movie for her fans, but this movie was not ABOUT HER, or for her. Although, it still seems like people are trying to give her some undeserved shine while trying to find a way to deflect some of the spotlight away from the three stars female leads of the movie. Truth be told, her role was mediocre at best. Outside of being snotty and uppity, and not doing it as well as Bryce Dallas Howard in "The Help," she did absolutely nothing that garners any attention.
On another note, Kevin Costner, being the veteran that he is, did his thing flawlessly, which was no surprise.
However, the real stars here are Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae. I have always been a fan of Taraji P. Henson's work, so all I have to say is... IT'S ABOUT TIME! It's about time others started to notice just how talented she really is. I love her role as Cookie Lyon on "Empire." It's just that with the exception of "Benjamin Button," a lot of her roles have been for urban audiences, so I'm pleased that she is finally getting some much- deserved attention. Octavia Spencer proved she was a force to be reckoned with in "The Help," but I must admit that I was less impressed with her role in this movie. That's not to say it's not an important one, but let's be honest, Taraji P. Henson steals the show and has the most screen time, so I'm not understanding her Oscar nomination. I think the Oscars definitely got that one wrong. At the same time, the real break-out star here is Janelle Monae. I was pleasantly surprised by how good of an actress she really is. I am vaguely familiar with a little of her music, but between this movie and her role in Moonlight, I think she may have missed her true calling there as an actress. Janelle was spunky and feisty as NASA's first African-American female engineer.
I also appreciate the fact that this movie didn't blow smoke up our rear-ends. I am a Black woman from the South, and The Jim Crows laws of the South were very real. Separation based on race was a key factor, so there is no way those people would have shared a bathroom, coffee pot, swimming pool, or anything else with anybody of African-American descent back in the 60's. To pretend that Black women would even be on equal ground, or even be given an even playing field is not only a distortion of history but an insult to our intelligence. Whether you like it or not, it's our history, that's the way it was, and in some places within Southern states, I can definitely vouch for the fact that it still is. DEAL WITH IT! People seem to have a complicated relationship with the truth. There are certain places where I live where I am not so subtly reminded that people with my skin-tone are not welcomed. I experienced this heavily as an undergraduate in college when White students would look at me like I was an alien. That's why Kevin Costner destroying that sign was not an over- dramatization, it sent a very important message about our mentalities when it comes to something as trivial and petty as using a public toilet. Quite frankly, it's time a lot of people grow up and realize that we are all human beings with our own crosses to bear, and if we want to reach the finish line we must learn to work together, especially if we're all working toward the same common goal.
Overall, this was a good movie that told an important story of some very important women. Those women just happen to be Black. If that fact rubs you the wrong way, I suggest you take a long look in the mirror and realize that YOU are the problem. One movie with three African-American leads gaining some positive attention should not be a problem when women of color are not celebrated very often. You can count on one hand how many African-American women have won Oscars over the last several decades until recently starting with Hattie McDaniel. That, my friends, is the big deal.