great story

Rating: 7/10 (30 January 2017)

Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) work at NASA's Langley colored calculating division in the still segregated Virginia. The facility is waiting for the new IBM computers and calculations are done by hand. The Russians are rocketing ahead. Katherine is assigned to director Al Harrison (Kevin Costner) who is under pressure to launch an American into space. Dorothy is a supervisor in practice but Vivian Mitchell (Kirsten Dunst) won't let her have the title. When the IBM computers are installed, Dorothy quickly learns to be an expert programmer leading the other colored girls. Mary must fight to attend an all-white school to be an engineer. The hard work culminates in John Glenn's flight on Friendship 7.
This story is a great unknown American history. Sometimes, it pushes too hard on the social commentary button. It's not really necessary since the story lays it out so well. There is no need for Taraji to make that big speech. A simple proclamation of her bathroom use and the fact that she's dripping wet should be enough to allow for a great moment for Al Harrison. There is also no need for him to take down the bathroom signs in such a theatrical way. The problem with these theatrical moves is the diminishment of the inherit power of those moments. Instead of commenting on the coffee pot, somebody could later drink her coffee as a point of transformation. While it doesn't make the movie bad, it is unnecessary for this great story.