Hidden Figures

"Well, the curriculum is not designed for teaching a woman."

"I imagine it's the same as teaching a man."

In 1961, mathematician Katherine Goble (Henson) works as a "computer" for NASA.  She works at the segregated West Area Computers division in a room with other brilliant women.  She rides to work with her friends Mary Jackson (Monae), who wants to be an engineer, and Dorothy Vaughan (Spencer), who runs the division even though she is continually passed over for promotion.  NASA is preparing to send a man into space and hopes to beat the Russians.  After the Russians successfully launch a satellite into space, the pressure is even higher.

Katherine is assigned to the Space Task Group.  The group is led by Al Harrison (Costner) who has already dismissed several previous "computers."  He wants Katherine to check the math of the team, which irks his engineer Paul Stafford (Parson).  Mary is assigned to the team that is testing the space capsule.  Her insights cause engineer Karl Zielinski (Olek Krupa) to encourage her to officially become an engineer.  NASA has also acquired a new IBM computer, which threatens to put the women out of business.  Dorothy has a knack for machines and begins studying the programming code.  As NASA begins training the astronauts, can these women save the day?


In 2016, Margot Lee Shetterly wrote the book "Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race," which is a biographical story of the lives of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson.  The film rights to the book were purchased by producer Donna Gigliotti, who hired Allison Schroeder to write the screenplay.  Schroeder's grandparents worked at NASA and she interned there as a teenager.  After director Theodore Melfi joined the project, he did some rewrites to the story.

The film takes some liberties... combining a few characters and condensing the timeline, to add to the drama.  It is a fascinating story of some incredible women.  The story is aided by a stellar cast.  Taraji P. Henson takes the lead as Katherine.  She is joined by Octavia Spencer as Dorothy Vaughan and Janelle Monae as Mary Jackson.  All three are strong actresses and deliver great performances.

The film was nominated for 3 Academy Awards: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress (for Spencer), and Best Picture.  It was nominated for numerous other awards and won many of them.

Hidden Figures (2016) 127 minutes
Director: Theodore Melfi
Starring: Taraji P. Henson as Katherine Goble
Octavia Spencer as Dorothy Vaughan
Janelle Monae as Mary Jackson
Kevin Costner as Al Harrison
Kirsten Dunst as Vivian Mitchell
Jim Parsons as Paul Stafford
Mahershala Ali as Jim Johnson
Aldis Hodge as Levi Jackson
Glen Powell as John Glenn