Hidden Figures Exposed

Rating: 9/10 (20 December 2017)

This well acted, very good looking based on fact movie, offers high entertainment and information value. It's just a pity the screenplay writer/director Theodore Mefti, felt the need to exaggerate some elements of the truth. While much of what is examined certainly happened - I think the movie going public would still have enjoyed this story about three women working in different areas of America's NASA's calculations dept - without the embellishments added for 'entertainment' purposes. It tells the employment experiences of each Woman (3 Afro American friends) Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson in a parallel time frame. Set during the turbulent late 50's with its racially ugly segregationist laws, this script tends to give these women's situations more of a 'Them and Us' scenario than perhaps was actually called for.
While I abhor racial hatred, and agree it should be shown for the nastiness it was (and often sadly remains) exaggerating the extent of certain situations can only add the unnecessary element of 'separationist' attitudes. Tell it like was but, do so as honestly as possible. Even with its uneven approach to certain situations this remains a worthy viewing experience - recommended to those studying the science of space travel, social intolerance and interracial advancement.