Amazing True Story

Rating: 7/10 (7 January 2017)

I saw "Hidden Figures", starring Taraji P. Henson-Empire_tv, The Karate Kid_2010; Octavia Spencer-Bad Santa 2, Mom_tv; Kevin Costner-Man of Steel, 3000 Miles to Graceland; Jim Parsons-Big Bang Theory_tv, School For Scoundrels and Kirsten Dunst-Fargo_tv, The Crow:Salvation.
This is an amazing true story that takes place in the early 1960's. Taraji plays a math prodigy. Ever since she was a little girl she was good with numbers-she graduated high school at 14 & college at 18. She gets a job with her friend, Octavia, at the Virginia branch of NASA, but because of the times and the color of her skin and being a female-a triple wammy-they were segregated from the other workers. Kevin runs the division that calculates the math on space launches and sees Taraji's skills in action and puts her to work. Of course, others are not as enlightened as Kevin and are working under long held prejudices. Jim and Kirsten play sub bosses-next in line, down from Kevin-with Jim over Taraji and Kirsten over Octavia. This was all before computers so they used lots of blackboards, pens and papers to do their calculations. At the end of the movie, they show the real people the movie is based on and tell you what they accomplished. I don't think I would buy it on DVD-not for repeated viewings-but it would be a good rental. It's rated "PG" for language and has a running time of 2 hours & 7 minutes.