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Hidden Figures
Author’s Name
Department/University
Course number
Course name
Instructor’s Name
, 2
Hidden Figures
The inspirational tale of three African American women and their achievements at NASA
is told in the 2016 film "Hidden Figures." First of all, the ensemble is amazing: Octavia Spencer
plays Dorothy Vaughan, while Janelle Monae plays Mary Jackson, and Taraji P. Henson plays
Katherine G. Johnson. In the 1960s, when the United States and Russia were engaged in a space
race to put a man into orbit, watch as the three pretend to be "human computers" at the space
agency. Pharrell's song "Hidden Figures" is full of tenacity, guile, and a catchy soundtrack
(Somvichian-Clause, 2019). Although the "Hidden Figures" got plenty of appreciations, it
received some criticisms as well. The major criticism against this movie is related to its
contributions to gender stereotypes. The purpose of this paper is to conduct research and find
three-five critics who have written about the movie the "Hidden Figures".
RogerEbert.com's Odie Henderson (2016) commends Hidden Figures for its depiction of
the three African-American women—Mary Jackson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Katherine Johnson
—as pioneers in NASA's space program. Henderson highlights the cast's excellent performances,
particularly Janelle Monáe's as Mary Jackson, and praises the film's nuanced portrayal of
systemic racism. According to him, the movie skillfully strikes a balance between the struggles
these women endured and an uplifting, empowering message about breaking down barriers of
gender and race (Henderson, 2016).
In a 2016 article for The Critical Movie Critics, Vincent Gaine points out that rather than
open animosity, the film portrays institutional racism that is subtle yet widespread. Gaine
contends that this strategy, when combined with humor, makes the movie approachable while
still dealing with weighty subjects. He does, however, criticize the film's "feel-good" aspects for
, 3
possibly overshadowing the characters' deeper hardships. He does, however, recognize that the
film does a good job of capturing the women's wit and fortitude (Gaine, 2016).
A more critical perspective is provided by Tim Grierson (2016) of ScreenDaily, who
contends that despite the excellent performances, the film's traditional tone lessens the emotional
impact of the characters' experiences. According to Grierson, the film underplays the impact of
systemic racism and sexism and plays it too safe with its upbeat story. Although nonetheless
significant, he believes that this strategy lessens the movie's impact compared to what it may
have been (Grierson, 2016).
Some of the other criticisms against this film are related to its Historical Accuracy, Lack
of Nuance, Lack of Intersectionality, Fictional Composite Characters, etc. Despite being based
on a genuine narrative, some have claimed that the movie significantly alters the historical facts
and chronology of events for dramatic effect. For the sake of the movie, several details and
character depictions were made up or exaggerated. The serious, pervasive racism and
discrimination that the real-life women of color experienced at NASA and in society at the time,
according to some reviewers, was minimized or glossed over in the movie. Some claim that the
movie sanitizes the truth of their experiences (Henderson, 2016). Some said the movie's feel-
good, oversimplified plot failed to adequately convey the nuanced, multidimensional character of
these women's challenges. The movie has drawn criticism for emphasizing the experiences of the
black women while omitting important details about how race, gender, and class intersected to
exacerbate their struggles (Grierson, 2016).
I partly agree and disagree with the criticisms made against the film. I do believe that the
Hidden Figures is a good film for tackling racial and gender biases. At the same time, it could
Hidden Figures
Author’s Name
Department/University
Course number
Course name
Instructor’s Name
, 2
Hidden Figures
The inspirational tale of three African American women and their achievements at NASA
is told in the 2016 film "Hidden Figures." First of all, the ensemble is amazing: Octavia Spencer
plays Dorothy Vaughan, while Janelle Monae plays Mary Jackson, and Taraji P. Henson plays
Katherine G. Johnson. In the 1960s, when the United States and Russia were engaged in a space
race to put a man into orbit, watch as the three pretend to be "human computers" at the space
agency. Pharrell's song "Hidden Figures" is full of tenacity, guile, and a catchy soundtrack
(Somvichian-Clause, 2019). Although the "Hidden Figures" got plenty of appreciations, it
received some criticisms as well. The major criticism against this movie is related to its
contributions to gender stereotypes. The purpose of this paper is to conduct research and find
three-five critics who have written about the movie the "Hidden Figures".
RogerEbert.com's Odie Henderson (2016) commends Hidden Figures for its depiction of
the three African-American women—Mary Jackson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Katherine Johnson
—as pioneers in NASA's space program. Henderson highlights the cast's excellent performances,
particularly Janelle Monáe's as Mary Jackson, and praises the film's nuanced portrayal of
systemic racism. According to him, the movie skillfully strikes a balance between the struggles
these women endured and an uplifting, empowering message about breaking down barriers of
gender and race (Henderson, 2016).
In a 2016 article for The Critical Movie Critics, Vincent Gaine points out that rather than
open animosity, the film portrays institutional racism that is subtle yet widespread. Gaine
contends that this strategy, when combined with humor, makes the movie approachable while
still dealing with weighty subjects. He does, however, criticize the film's "feel-good" aspects for
, 3
possibly overshadowing the characters' deeper hardships. He does, however, recognize that the
film does a good job of capturing the women's wit and fortitude (Gaine, 2016).
A more critical perspective is provided by Tim Grierson (2016) of ScreenDaily, who
contends that despite the excellent performances, the film's traditional tone lessens the emotional
impact of the characters' experiences. According to Grierson, the film underplays the impact of
systemic racism and sexism and plays it too safe with its upbeat story. Although nonetheless
significant, he believes that this strategy lessens the movie's impact compared to what it may
have been (Grierson, 2016).
Some of the other criticisms against this film are related to its Historical Accuracy, Lack
of Nuance, Lack of Intersectionality, Fictional Composite Characters, etc. Despite being based
on a genuine narrative, some have claimed that the movie significantly alters the historical facts
and chronology of events for dramatic effect. For the sake of the movie, several details and
character depictions were made up or exaggerated. The serious, pervasive racism and
discrimination that the real-life women of color experienced at NASA and in society at the time,
according to some reviewers, was minimized or glossed over in the movie. Some claim that the
movie sanitizes the truth of their experiences (Henderson, 2016). Some said the movie's feel-
good, oversimplified plot failed to adequately convey the nuanced, multidimensional character of
these women's challenges. The movie has drawn criticism for emphasizing the experiences of the
black women while omitting important details about how race, gender, and class intersected to
exacerbate their struggles (Grierson, 2016).
I partly agree and disagree with the criticisms made against the film. I do believe that the
Hidden Figures is a good film for tackling racial and gender biases. At the same time, it could
