The desire to support a certain type of film, the urge to enjoy and exalt all cinema that seeks to achieve a noble political purpose or to tell a worthy tale heretofore untold is put to the test in Hidden Figures. It comprises the majority of what this film has to offer, and indeed is an urge thoroughly encouraged by its content - this particular tale being about the African-American women whose integral contributions to space exploration in the 1960s, in the face of extreme, direct prejudice, have been mostly overlooked in favour of the archetypal white male heroes. You want to love them and this story of their experiences, and indeed you do love them - they're smart, witty, personable characters given depth and detail by an earnest screenplay and some smart performances. These lovable attributes aside, however, the film around these marvellous ladies is an unfortunate dud in a number of fundamental ways. Corny dialogue recalls soapy studio dramas from the early '90s, routine plotting bends the truth around a transparently formulaic structure, and suspect attempts at watering down the film's racial themes betray the callous pandering whose impact is surely antithetical to its central message. Hidden Figures is a conservative film about groundbreaking people, whose service deserved better than decades of erasure from the pages of history, and must now be content with this. It's an upgrade, no doubt, and in some respects a noble one. But once again, these women take the strain, elevating the work of their white colleagues, turning it into whatever triumph they can.
I am so ready to have the sugar-coated sensationalism of this trailer spoilt by Hidden Figures, and the sugar-free reality of what actually happened in this true story to be sweetened right back up by Theodore Melfi's unashamedly uplifting film. At least, that's what I'm hoping for. One way or another, Hidden Figures is here to rewrite the history you were taught, and to teach you a new thing or two in its place. A wide release Stateside is due on the 13th of January after a limited, Oscar-qualifying run sometime in December; a UK release will arrive on the 24th of February, if you haven't all caught the illegally-uploaded screener copies online by then! Trailer #1 can be viewed here.
It remains to be seen whether or not 20th Century Fox decides to run Hidden Figures for awards consideration this year. Based on the above first trailer, it'd be a shame if they decided against it, since it looks rather good indeed! Releasing it early next year, mid-awards season, might help to afford it the appearance of an awards hit with general audiences, but should the film perform well from critics, it'd likely have faded come December of next year. A limited run some time late this year ought to be in order, since this appears to be one of 2016's most promising prestige projects. It hasn't appeared on any fall festival lineups either, which is a worrying sign. Director Theodore Melfi will be familiar to many from 2014's St. Vincent. And I see you, Janelle Monae: between this and Moonlight, you're coming for those awards henny! Out in the US, officially (for now), on the 13th of January and in the UK on the 24th of February.
