On February 20, 1962 NASA launched the first American into orbit around the earth. Powered by a Mercury-Atlas rocket every school child and adult alike knows that John Glenn was in that Mercury capsule. But most of us have little knowledge of those who made that achievement possible – especially the contributions of 3 African-American women; Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson. Thanks to Hidden Figures, a well crafted feel good movie about the pride and prejudice of one of the most significant periods in our history, their story is finally told.

Implied by its title, the film is a dual narrative which tells the story of the role these exceptionally talented women played during the Mercury space program as well as the indifferent and at times cruel treatment they suffered in a 1960s segregated Virginia. Kevin Costner as the fictional Al Harrison is perhaps the most recognizable cast member with the longest list of acting credits to his name. Cleverly inserted among the story’s real life historical figures, Coster is the glue that holds the narrative together. He’s well cast as a wry and seasoned pragmatist who embodies the voice of reason. He provides an added dimension of reason for the extraordinary efforts at NASA during the space race and eventually becomes the champion for the women of color at Virginia’s Langley Research Complex.

But its Tarija P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae as Johnson, Vaughan and Jackson respectively that are the heart of this film. Accomplished, each in their own right, these actors are well cast. They concurrently embody not only the spirit of what was so right with America in 1962 but also, as they bear the unjust burden of color, what was so wrong.

Henson is particularly effective as the brilliant Katherine Johnson. Looking beyond the numbers, as only a true mathematician can, she tackles Glenn’s Friendship 7 re-entry calculations which others see as unsolvable because of the limitations of existing mathematical formulas. Reflecting the spirit of the American “can do” age she’s also the unfortunate recipient of its cruel inequalities. In a well executed scene where Costner’s Harrison questions her long mid day absences she stoically explains that she must walk a half mile across the campus to find the nearest colored bathroom. The fact that Harrison was oblivious to this in the first place is a sad reflection of a society conditioned to accept institutionalized segregation and the pain and shame it imposed.

With award-winning roles in films such as The Help and Fruitvale Station, its a joy to watch Octavia Spencer as Dorothy Vaughan. She is the epitome of someone who will not be victimized by her situation – a role model for anyone who feels that someone or something is holding them back. With dignity and perseverance she charts a path to break free. Spencer is an expressive actor who brings a level of familiarity and genuine endearment to her characters. It’s a talent that seems to reach beyond the screen and her performance in Hidden Figures is no exception. Held back because of her gender and color, she is the de facto supervisor, without the pay or official title, of a group of black women who toil as human computers just before the dawn of the IBM mainframe. Self taught in what was then the emerging computer language of FORTRAN and amidst numerous obstacles, she not only secures her own future but that of her entire team.

Although she has less acting credits to her name Janelle Monae as Mary Jackson is no less effective.  Determined to be NASA’s first black female engineer she lacks the required course work to qualify.  The only local school that offers what she needs is a white only high school.  Petitioning the court she wins the right to attend night school and takes her place in a classroom that’s not only all white but all male. The touching scenes between Monae’s Jackson and Mahershala Ali who plays her would be suitor and eventual husband are beautifully acted and poignant. These scenes alone are worth the price of admission.

Not everything in Hidden Figures works – Jim Parsons might play a physicist on TV’s The Big Bang Theory but he looks lost as head engineer Paul Stafford. His schoolboy looks betray him and his performance as Katherine Johnson’s overachieving and inconsiderate boss is unconvincing, particularly when he’s playing opposite Tarija P. Henson. Some have criticized the casting of Glen Powell as the astronaut hero John Glenn. At 28 Powell is decades younger than Glenn was in 1962.  But his patriotic workmanlike performance effectively depicts Glenn’s personality and his importance to the country’s space program. Rounding out the cast is Kirsten Dunst who plays the by the book supervisor to Octavia Spencer’s character. It’s an adequate depiction of someone lost in the prejudices and protocols of her time but it’s not a particularly memorable performance.

Because it tells two stories about our nation’s history, you’d be hard pressed to call this film the best depiction of either the space age or racism in America. But what Hidden Figures does remarkably well is teach us important life lessons about the value of perseverance and the danger, at times, of being too focused on relativism. That’s enough to make it “required reading” for all.

Post Script – Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson were acutely aware that they resided in a glorious era of opportunity but because of their gender and the color of their skin virtually none of those opportunities were available to them. Yet they refused -albeit no one would have blamed them – to be victims of their time. Harnessing their God-given talents, demonstrating the true value of their exceptional knowledge and intellect, they took their place among the “can do” heroes of their day and age. And within the example of those achievements they cleared a path for others to follow. The best thing we can do to honor them is to ensure that the trail they blazed never fades away.

I’ll say this about The Accountant, when it’s over you won’t ask the person next to you “Wait…what about that guy in the black car? What happens to him?” Never, ok maybe one time but I can’t remember, have I ever seen a movie that creates so many loose ends and then goes to the excessive lengths that The Accountant does to tie them all up. If you have any questions by the time the credits roll it’s because you spent too much time peaking at your phone – which is quite possible given the silliness of the plot and Ben Affleck’s incessant mumbling. The only thing left to the imagination is how they got so many A list actors to sign up for this project.

The Accountant follows Christian Wolff  a high functioning autistic played by Ben Affleck. Mild mannered store front tax accountant by day, high rolling book cooker by night, Affleck’s character not only knows his way around a ledger but is also an expert in martial arts and really big guns. How all this happened is not only absurd but also an affront to anyone who cares for an autistic child.  It seems Christian is a product of a military father who channeled Robert Duval in the Great Santini, a tough older brother and a mother who left because she couldn’t deal.  Where’d she go?  That should be filed under no one seems to care except the screenwriters.

Anyway, the father thinks that by teaching his son to emulate Liam Neeson’s “special skills” he’ll be better equipped to deal with his disability and survive in the real world. So in a series of flashbacks that are pulled right out of The Karate Kid and An Officer and a Gentleman, Christian gets toughened up by subjecting him to street gangs and personal training that leaves him bloodied. The mere thought, even in a fictitious story, that violence is somehow a therapy for autism is offensive on so many levels that it’s enough to pan this movie – but wait, there’s more. Somehow he winds up in prison for two years and is tutored in the fine art of international book cooking by Jeffery Tambor who in a miscast role, plays a former accountant for the Gambino crime family. The next thing you know he’s dressed in black, has a hidden trailer packed with expensive weapons, passports and money of various countries and currencies.  All of this is apparently necessary as he travels the world in a quest to route money and numbers.

The roster of A list actors who really should have a sit down with their respective agents to insure they don’t get cast in a movie like this again include John Lithgow as Lamar Blackburn, a high-tech mogul who starts out respectable enough but ends up a ranting paranoid with shifty eyes. If you want to see Lithgow work with really good material, tune into Netflix’s The Crown and get a load of his magnificent portrayal of Winston Churchill. Next is J. K. Simmons who could read the instructions on how to assemble a bicycle and be more entertaining than what he’s given to work with in this movie. He plays a high-ranking treasury agent who blackmails a subordinate into investigating the true identity of the Accountant. Which begs the question, why would you blackmail a subordinate to do her job?? In one of the movie’s bizarre final scenes, Simmons assumes a reclining pose as if he’s in a therapist’s office and delivers an overly wrought monologue about his personal experiences with Affleck’s character. Again, any number of other J. K. Simmons movies are better examples of his acting prowess. And finally there’s Anna Kendrick who really should have passed on what appears to be a filler role and should be asking someone on her team “how did Emma Stone get the lead role in La La Land when I can sing and dance better than her?”

I’ve left Affleck for last because even with an overly complicated plot, poor casting and an absurd premise, The Accountant might have had a shot at being half way entertaining had it not been for Ben Affleck’s wooden performance. There’s virtually nothing to it except a blank stare, monotone delivery and the occasional raised eyebrow. And in a failed attempt to add some degree of dimension to the character, Affleck imbues Christian with a physical “tick.” Each time he uses his hands whether for eating or for complex work he rubs his fingers together and brings them to his mouth. It’s as if someone said to him “you know, Hoffman had the notebook, the colored pens and the toothpicks – what are you going to do?? “How about I spit on my fingers?” “Ok, if you can’t think of anything else, go with that.” Truth be told I’ve rarely seen much in terms of dimension in any of his roles and this is no exception. His brother Casey who seems to reside comfortably in his big brother’s shadow is a far more nuanced actor who doesn’t seem to get the credit he deserves.  (That may finally change now that he’s up for an Oscar in Manchester By The Sea).

So there you have The Accountant – but all is not lost –  if you’re running a small business out of your home and struggling with this year’s tax return, Affleck provides some great advice on what’s deductible and what’s not.  Otherwise, in this reviewer’s opinion, there’s no reason to rush out to see The Accountant or even pay to watch it on demand. In the very near future it will most certainly get picked up by a premium cable network and will run 759 times a month. That will afford you more than enough of an opportunity to catch up on the unread emails and text messages on your phone and not have to bug the person next to you with a question like  “whatever happened to the guy in the hat?”