Space Race and Racism

Rating: Null/10 (11 August 2017)

Employed by NASA in the 1960s, three African American women overcome racial prejudice to excel in their respective areas in this film from 'St. Vincent' director Theodore Melfi. As per 'St. Vincent', Melfi blends comedy and drama together to tell his tale, though this is a more sobering affair with several scenes that highlight how prevalent racial prejudice was back then. Unfortunately, most of the best moments dealing with this made in into the film's theatrical trailer, and while there is something curious in how NASA has to overcome backwards prejudices to advance forward in the space race, it is hard not to wish for the film to focus more on the space race and less on racism. The film additionally feels rather unbalanced by giving Taraji P. Henson twice as much screen time as both her co-stars. Henson admittedly has the best character and delivers the most rounded performance, but the achievements of her peers are diminished by making her such a prominent figure. And yet, if hardly the most amazing true-story drama of recent time, the film is very watchable throughout thanks to solid performances by all concerned and an excellent mix of music with input from Pharrell Williams. Sure, the music is not true to the era but it adds a lot of bounce to what is otherwise fairly routine stuff as far as feel-good biographical dramas go.