Hidden Figures (2016)

The biggest cheer-out-loud moment in Hidden Figures goes to Kevin Costner tearing down a segregated bathroom sign, and it’s the one beat that feels off in a story about three women who fought their own battles. Everything else earns its applause. Taraji P. Henson plays Katherine as brilliant and patient, until the day she isn’t, and her outburst about running across the campus to use a restroom she’s allowed in is the most powerful scene in the film. Octavia Spencer gives Dorothy a quiet, strategic fire as she teaches herself a programming language before the machines can replace her team. Janelle Monáe brings sparkle and steel as Mary, making her case to a judge for a seat in an all-white classroom. Jim Parsons’ cold engineer is one-note. The film takes segregation seriously without letting it swallow the women’s triumphs. It made $237.6 million worldwide on a reported $25M. An 8.0 because the performances are terrific and this history deserves the spotlight. $178.51 says you double-check your own math at work this week and think of Katherine before you hit send.

What works: Henson, Spencer and Monáe are terrific, and the film celebrates their brilliance while treating segregation with the seriousness it deserves.

What doesn’t: It hands a big heroic moment to Kevin Costner’s boss that the women should have owned, and Jim Parsons’ engineer stays one-note.

Who it’s for: Families looking for an inspiring true story, and anyone who has ever done the hard work while somebody else took the bow.