The three stars are all fantastic, with Henson clearly enjoying playing genius, widowed mother Katherine. But Hidden Figures remains a crowd-pleaser because the main characters, while faced with insidious day-to-day discrimination (segregated bathrooms, offices, libraries, schools), don't endure the kind of horrific violence depicted in Selma. Many Civil Rights-era stories are understandably upsetting, showing the unflinchingly ugly institutional racism that African Americans had to endure. Henson, Spencer, and Monáe's stellar performances propel this feel-good biographical drama that teaches audiences about a little-known aspect of NASA's history. They're excellent role models, and their story is full of positive messages and themes, including integrity, perseverance, teamwork, and communication. The film also offers a realistic look at the racial tensions of the Civil Rights era (segregated bathrooms, libraries, schools, facilities), and audiences will learn a lot about these pioneering women and what they had to overcome to make their mark at NASA.

There's a little bit of romance (a few kisses, flirty comments, and slow dancing) and a bit of salty language (mostly along the lines of 'damn,' 'hell,' and 'Jesus Christ' as an exclamation). where NASA's Langley Research Center is based. Henson) were engineers and computers at NASA at a time when both women and African Americans were still widely discriminated against, particularly in segregationist Virginia. Dorothy Vaughn ( Octavia Spencer), Mary Jackson ( Janelle Monáe), and Katherine Johnson ( Taraji P. Parents need to know that Hidden Figures is based on the inspiring true story of three brilliant African American women who worked at NASA in the 1950s and '60s as 'human computers' - making calculations and contributions that helped launch the manned spaceflight program. Adult women drink in one scene and joke about getting a little tipsy.ĭid you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

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