Multiple really good scenes, and no bad ones!

Rating: 9/10 (11 January 2017)

'HIDDEN FIGURES': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five)
The critically acclaimed biographical comedy-drama, from director Theodore Melfi (who also helmed 2014's 'ST. VINCENT'). Melfi also co-wrote the screenplay, with first time feature screenwriter Allison Schroeder, and it's based on the book (of the same name) by Margot Lee Shetterly. The film stars Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monae, Octavia Spencer, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, Mahershala Ali and Glen Powell. It tells the true story of the brilliant African- American mathematician Katherine Johnson, and her two colleagues, who helped John Glenn become the first American to completely orbit the Earth (while they worked segregated at Langley). The movie has received almost unanimously rave reviews from critics, and it's a hit at the Box Office. I really enjoyed it as well.
The film takes places in the 1960s; at a time when America was desperately trying to get ahead in the 'Space Race' with the Soviet Union. Katherine Johnson (Henson), and her two friends, Mary Jackson (Monae) and Dorothy Vaughan (Spencer), worked at Langley; in the segregated West Area Computers division. Despite dealing with heavy racism, and the lack of true credit for their work, the three women helped John Glenn (Powell) become the first American astronaut to make a complete orbit of Earth. This movie passionately tells their little known story.
The film has multiple really good scenes in it; that are extremely emotional, inspiring and quite moving. The performances are all really good; especially Henson, Monae and Costner (Costner is a great actor, he should be getting a lot more work). While the movie is really well made, and very touching, it's still just a little too Hollywood manufactured for me. Melfi is a very talented filmmaker though ('ST. VINCENT' is a really good movie as well), he just needs the studios to let him have complete creative freedom of his work. It's almost a truly great film, but not quite.
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