The Right Stuff (1983) User Reviews

Pushing the Envelope of Space!

[cariart · 9/10 · 18 November 2000]

'The Right Stuff' is one of the most glorious adventure films ever made, a story of incredible heroism, poignant romance, gripping drama, and broad humor...and amazingly, it has actually happened within our lifetimes!

This is a tale of test pilots, 'pushing the envelope', proving the sound barrier couldn't constrain mankind's reach for space. Leading the way is plain-speaking Chuck Yeager (portrayed by Sam Shepard with Gary Cooper-like charm), a Beeman's gum-chewing cowboy with a passion for his feisty wife (the beautiful Barbara Hershey), and hot planes. Not even a broken rib could hold him back when an opportunity to fly the X-1 was offered. His record-breaking flight could fill a movie by itself...and this is just the BEGINNING of the story!

Jumping ahead a few years, Yeager is joined by a new breed of test pilots, whose total love of flight challenges their relationships, and is the true measure of how they define themselves. Among them are 'Gordo' Cooper (Dennis Quaid), a hot dog jet jockey with an unhappy wife (Pamela Reed, giving an exceptional performance); and Gus Grissom (Fred Ward, in his breakthrough role), coarse and direct, and anxious for his shot at the fastest jets.

The entire world changes when the Russians launch Sputnik, in 1957. As the American space program struggles to 'catch up', the government realizes that American men will have to go into space, and President Eisenhower wants 'educated' test pilots to fill this role. Yeager is out (he never completed college), but Cooper and Grissom, and many others, compete for spots in the New Frontier.

These pilots, from all services, are weeded down to seven men, dubbed 'Astronauts', and the Mercury Space Program is born! Along with Cooper and Grissom, the story focuses on Navy pilot Alan Shepard (Scott Glenn), laconic and prone to ethnic humor; and Marine John Glenn (perfectly cast Ed Harris), a 'boy scout' of unimpeachable morals, who loyally supports an impaired wife (sensitively portrayed by Mary Jo Deschanel). Working under the glare of the world press, the seven gradually come to respect one another, and embark on an epic adventure, full of triumph and tragedy!

Meanwhile, Chuck Yeager, snubbed by NASA, continues to test new generations of jets, pushing the 'envelope', until, in a climactic scene, he achieves the threshold of space, himself. The flight is a near disaster, resulting in a horrendous crash, but the image of the burned but undefeated pilot, walking proudly away from the wreckage, is an unforgettable image of courage, and truly defines 'The Right Stuff'!

This is a REMARKABLE film in every way, and is director Philip Kaufman's masterpiece. Lushly scored by Tom Conti (who won an Oscar for the Tchaikovsky-inspired music), the film soars, both on earth and in space!

If you believe the Age of Heroes is past, watch 'The Right Stuff', and you might change your mind! This is a film to treasure!

History Is Made Of This Stuff

[claudiaeilcinema · 9/10 · 5 October 2009]

It was wonderful to see again this 1983 gem. Just as I remembered plus those unexpected surprises that time puts in evidence. Kim Stanley for instance. A few minutes on the screen, a peripheral character but I took her with me and here I am, thinking about her. The "starry" role jet pilots played and that new breed: "tha astronauts" getting the all American treatment, becoming overnight celebrities. Ed Harris is extraordinary as John Glenn. He becomes a sort of leader with some TV experience and we never ask why. Ed Harris's performance explains it all without ever actually saying it. Dennis Quaid is irresistible as "Gordo" Cooper. You believe every one of his thoughts, specially the ones he never reveals. In spite of the film's length, I wished the film would not end. I haven't had that wish very often. "The Right Stuff" is the real thing.

the film does praise Yeager (response to mrbisco)

[torreydeluca · 9/10 · 30 March 2003]

I have to correct "mrbsico" for not paying attention to the very things he comments on. It's not that he turned down the opportunity to apply to be an astronaut, it's that Chuck Yeager wasn't allowed to apply. When seraching for astronauts Harry Shearer's character praises Yeager as the ace of aces, but goes on to say that he "doesn't fit the profile" of the type of man Washington is looking for because he never went to college. This was a true pre-requisite which the Mercury Program had. Also, the scene at the end where Yeager crashes his NF-104 doesn't bring him down, it glorifies him. Gordo Cooper even comments that he gets on the cover of magazines, gets a free car, free lunches all across America, a free home with all the furnishings and loads of money and "I ain't even been up there yet". He's famous because he's an astronaut alone - not because of anything he's done. Kaufman cuts back and forth between the scene where Cooper is with Yeager's flight in the desert for reason. Yeager's almost alone with no media around, out in the desert attempting a record which won't put him on Life Magazine's cover. He's trying to set a record because that's what he's made of. He has The Right Stuff; which is something Cooper reazlies as we cut back to the reception and Gordo is asked by the reporters who the best pilot he ever saw was. Yeager may have crashed his plane in his last flight of the movie, but he emerges as a fearless man ever up for the challenge. And that he's not doing any of it for fame or fortune (although in real life the real Yeager cashed in with TV ads and a best-selling autobiography after both the book and the movie were released!!). That's what's rare about this movie for Hollywood to have made. Films are almost never about measuring a man's inner desires, but rather his being able to win the fight at the end. Yeager in contrast doesn't win the flight record at the film's end, but he is still the hero. This is because he dares to do what we never would. And even after his plane crashes he walks out of the gulf of fire and smoke with a severely burned face as if he will be back; you can't keep him down. This is why as the rescuer driving the ambulance as he sees Yeager's figure walking out of the fire in the distance asks, "Is that a man?", Jack Ridley replies, "You're damn right it is!". Ridley isn't merely remarking that it's a man over there, he is commenting that in our world Yeager is one of the few true "men". This film is not about the space program. That is merely a pretext to explore the type of men who have what it takes to volunteer for dangerous missions - even in times of peace. It's about men who have The Right Stuff - and of all those men whom we see in the movie it is Yeager who shines about all others.

an epic film with something for everyone

[rmsmythe · 10/10 · 20 August 2003]

The Right Stuff is terrific: exciting, complex, funny, crammed with memorable scenes, unforgettable lines, and wonderful actors (many of whom went on to become big stars).

A classic shot shows a test pilot on horseback coming over a ridge stopping to look at a new rocket-plane, steadying his nervous horse as it edges past the flames coming out the back. The test pilot is the twentieth century's cowboy: tough, laconic, independent, fearless.

The Right Stuff tells two parallel stories: the (often fatal) exploits of the early test pilots and Mercury astronauts, with intersecting storylines. The movie never takes itself too seriously. Witness general crawling on the floor to plug in the projector, the sounds of the locusts when the press surrounds the astronauts (Yeager called them locusts initially), the Halleluiah Chorus during the press conference, the enema scene, Sheppard needing to take a leak in the suit, Johnson trying to deal with a housewife. Yet underneath all the fun that is poked at the astronauts we see respect for real men doing a scary, important job.

This film has all the excitement of Top Gun, but is longer, better, just as high-tech exciting, and much funnier. (A washroom scene rivals Meg Ryan's famous restaurant scene...the audience laughed so hard we all missed Cooper's next line!).

And some wonderful lines: Cooper's response to "Who's the best pilot you ever saw?", "O.K. You can be Gus", "The Military owes me", "Read'em and weep", "Hey Ridley, you got any Beemans?", "I go to church too.", "Everything is A-OK", "Our Germans are better than their Germans", "What are you two pudknockers going to have?", and, said with regret and frustration "test pilots!"

To those who have seen it, here's a challenge that will enable you to appreciate the excellent writing, the workmanship and planning that went into the script. View the movie again and see how many times the screenwriter and director took the trouble to set up a later event or comment with an earlier reference. Here are three examples: Cooper dropping a tiny toy space capsule into Grissum's drink (foreshadowing), Copper reading Life magazine before the publisher enters the movie (to make sure we viewers know that Life magazine exits), Yeager bumping his elbow on a limb of a cactus tree as he walks into Pancho's at the beginning of the movie (I never noticed this the first few times I watched the movie, but surely this tiny action was deliberate.) I count a dozen more examples. Send me ones you find.

If you haven't seen The Right Stuff, I strongly recommend you rent the DVD. -RS

The Best Picture of 1983

[cagney00 · 21 August 2001]

This picture was selected as Best Picture of its year by 2 of the best movie reviewers in recent memory, Siskel & Ebert. They both chose this film because "it showed how things get done in America."

This is one of my favorite films. If you remember the space race (and not fantasize you do like some other reviewers on this page) and the Mercury astronauts were your heroes too, then watching this movie is like going home again.

As for the younger crowd? Watching this true story will be a lot of fun, and there are a lot of laughs. But more importantly, it will give you a look into a time when your country actually tried to do important things: not b/c they were easy, as President Kennedy said, but b/c they were hard. A concept so sadly lacking these days.

Watch everyone, and enjoy. It's quite a ride, and it all really happened.

Real Heroes, And An Era That Went By All Too Fast

[ccthemovieman-1 · 8/10 · 27 May 2006]

An interesting insight into the United States' space program, beginning with the exploits of fighter pilot Chuck Yeager (Sam Shephard) and concluding with the dramatic flights of the first astronauts.

Those astronauts - the Mercury 7 pilots - are a varied group of aviators and they are all pretty interesting guys. John Glenn (Ed Harris) gets favorable treatment in here among the group. Gordon Cooper might be the wildest with the cocky and humorous Dennis Quaid playing him. Overall, it's a good cast including not just the fliers but their wives. I also enjoyed Scott Glenn as Alan Shepard and Barbara Hershey as Yeager's wife.

Yeager's feats were perhaps the most interesting and they set a fast tone to this 3-hour film as we witness him breaking several sound-barrier records prior to the formation of the astronaut team. Then we are treated to a long-but-interesting segment of how those first astronauts were trained.

The only unnecessary and ludicrous parts of this film were the ones on Lyndon Johnson, where they made him into a total fool. It was as if the screen writers had a personal vendetta against him, to make him look almost like a cartoon figure. And the bit with the Australian Aborigines smacks too much of Hollywood's love affair with tribal religions. I sincerely doubt some sparks from a fire on earth could be seen miles and miles above in space.

At any rate, this was an informative look at a period in our history than came-and-went way too fast. Sad to say, most people know very little about those first astronauts, who were true heroes. At least this film gives them their due, as well as to Yeager, who deserved this tribute, too

Just about every element ties together well creating a nearly perfect movie

[FrankBooth_DeLarge · 9/10 · 15 February 2005]

The Right Stuff takes place during the Cold War when America was trying its hardest in technological advancements to beat the Russians. The movie first starts out with Chuck Yeager(Sam Shepard) attempting to break the sound barrier. The movie continues with other story lines as professional pilots desperately try to get into the NASA space program, become the first Americans into space, and try to break some kind of record that will beat what the Russians had. The other real life people that this movie follows are Alan Shepard(Scott Glenn), Gordon Cooper(Dennis Quaid), John Glenn(Ed Harris), Gus Grissom(Fred Ward), and of course, their families.

The running time is very long at 3 hours plus, but it goes by very quickly. The first couple of hours go by as if they were 25 minutes, and the last hour is thrilling, as well as inspiring. There are several plot elements that really make this movie phenomenal. There is plenty of excitement as you see what the skilled pilots try to accomplish, there is plenty of humor, the cast is nearly perfect, and the score adds plenty of effect to the film. The result is a phenomenal, nearly perfect film, being one of the best films of the 1980's.

The plot is very interesting, as you see the lives of the pilots, the status of the American Government desperately trying to overcome the Russians with advanced technology, and the difficulties in trying to accomplish these difficulties. This is well worth your time, and it is a great movie.

Tremendous telling of the beginnings of the space program.

[michaelRokeefe · 9/10 · 11 December 2000]

This is one of my favorite movies. It starts with test pilot Chuck Yeager(Sam Shepard)and some of his accomplishments; and then right on through the trials and tribulations of picking the original seven Mercury astronauts and the final Mercury mission.

Great NASA footage integrated into this meaty Philip Kaufman epic. A better than average ensemble cast. The best performances coming from Ed Harris as John Glenn; Scott Glenn as Alan Shepard; Dennis Quaid as 'Gordo' Cooper and Fred Ward as 'Gus' Grissom. Barbara Hershey was eye catching as Glennis Yeager and Donald Moffat was down right funny as the egotistical Vice President Lyndon Johnson.

How truthful the characters are portrayed may be of question. But the sometimes odd personalities brings humor to what could be a very long and boring systematic movie. THE RIGHT STUFF is interesting, patriotic and empowering. Classified: Do Not Miss!

A movie that is as straight forward as the story it tells

[FilmOtaku · 7/10 · 15 May 2004]

`The Right Stuff' is the story of the original Mercury 7 astronauts and their journey through the fledgling NASA program and eventually into space. It is well-written and well-acted, featuring a veritable `Who's Who' of then slightly unknown actors such as Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, Sam Shepard, Scott Glenn and Lance Henriksen. While it had an over three hour running time, and I actually had to get up to turn over the DVD because of its length, the pacing was such that I never once considered that any particular scene should have been shortened. One thing I particularly enjoyed about the film was the introduction of Chuck Yeager (Shepard) and his contribution to history by breaking the sound barrier, and then the periodic simultaneous comparison of the accomplishments of the astronauts and the Air Force and civilian test pilots, as well as exhibiting their eventual mutual respect.

If I had to point out any kind of glaring fault, it would have to be that they focused on some astronauts more than others – obviously concentrating heavily on the bigger names, and glossing over the `lesser-known' ones. An example would be Walter Schirra (Henriksen) – his name is mentioned a couple of times, and he probably had a tenth of the screen time of the others. Plainly, with an already three hour running time not everyone could have equal time, so this is certainly a mild criticism. `The Right Stuff' isn't profound or exceptional, but it is certainly a good and interesting film.

--Shelly

The Best American Film of the Past 25 Years

[Preston-10 · 10/10 · 4 August 2000]

Many are quick to announce a particular film as important but are reluctant to consider why they stand by such a film. For me, even though there are other films that people would adamantly admit are much better I can not think of a better one in the past 25 years than THE RIGHT STUFF. Now, let me give you three reasons why (much of what I will say has already been said by Roger Ebert but I cannot word it any better).

1.) Very few movies do a better job referring to the topic of heroism and courage (two important American topics). In the beginning of the movie we see a cowboy riding through the desert as he stumbles across the X-1 plane(the first plane to break the sound barrier). By the end of the movie the seven Mercury astronauts are cheered for what they have done. Those two images say everything about the movie because they show that what we perceive as heroism has changed. The original American heroes (cowboys) were loners. The heroes of today are team players who act as public-relations people where the one or two spokesmen are the ones credited for their efforts. The fact that this movie does a great job demonstrating that our ideals have changed (no necessarily for the better or worse) is testament to how such a great American film this is.

2.) The movie manages to do a lot without going off track. It manages to be a comedy, an action-adventure film, a social and political commentary, a docu-drama, and a satire. The fact that this movie is able to do so much while, at the same time, pull it off is an incredible feat.

3.) The movie also showcases a lot of talent; Sam Shepard, Ed Harris, Fred Ward, Dennis Quaid, Barbara Hershey, Pamela Reed, J.P. Ryan, Kim Stanley, Veronica Cartwright all give some of their best performances to date. Even some of the best films of all time have two or three standout performances. THE RIGHT STUFF has several times that number.

I think that by my three reasons I have justified why THE RIGHT STUFF is the best American film of the past 25 years.

An interesting comment on a certain 1968 space film.

[kustom135 · 7/10 · 16 October 2007]

The really interesting thing about The Right Stuff is the sequence where Chuck Yeager takes his Starfighter (very telling) to the edge of the space.

Compare this sequence to 2001's Dave Bowman taking his spacecraft to the edge of . . . whatever. The filming styles in the two sequences, the tumbling, spinning sensation and freakish views, are remarkably similar and I think the TRS production is making that exact point.

Yeager, unlike Bowman, never makes it into space--witness space and stars just within his grasp, then slipping away--but in the end, he's portrayed as an indomitable and winning man. The Starfighter sequence in The Right Stuff mimics 2001's Stargate to describe what REAL flight is all about: human struggle.

"Is That A Man?" "Yeah You're Damn Right It Is"

[JimS_8686 · 10/10 · 25 March 2008]

The Right Stuff is a bold and ambitious movie, based upon Tom Wolfe's novel of the same name. It's storyline depicts a very important part of history, namely, the cold war between the U.S. and Russia. We were competing with Russia for decades over which country could hold the title of biggest superpower. The Americans versus the Commies. The threat of nuclear war between the two countries was always tangible.

The Right Stuff is a most entertaining and informative history lesson. A chronicle of the Mercury 7 program which propelled the first Americans into space. Pilot Chuck Yeager (Sam Shepard) basically started it all as the man who first risked his life towards this journey by breaking the sound barrier with his "Glamorous Glennis" X-1. Russia upped the ante with Sputnik soon after.

The early Yeager flight sequence where he surpasses the speed of sound is nothing short of breathtaking. Caleb Deshanel's cinematography and sfx accompanying this and other airborne dramatizations depicted here are unparalleled to anything I've seen in a movie before or since. They will have you on the edge of your seat.

The first act of The Right Stuff is mostly Yeager's story. But in addition to learning about this American legend, this portion of the film allows the viewer to get into the psyche of the test pilot. Each time you go on up in a hurtling piece of machinery to try topping the record you set previously could be your last. Risky and Dangerous, but for these guys it's a way of life, and they wouldn't have it any other way.

Yeager's groundbreaking flights set the blueprint for America's journey into space. From here we see test pilots from all over competing with each other to become the first in history to go where no man has gone before. These scenes are insightful, funny, and allow the viewer to be introduced to the personalities behind the men who would make up the Mercury 7 program.

From here, the viewer gets exposed to the behind-the-scenes politics during this pivotal point in history, showing the relationships these men have with their concerned wives as well as satirizing the prying, sometimes inconsiderate news media once the astronauts are introduced to the press. The human element and satire depicted in these scenes are still truthful and relevant by today's standards.

These pilots are competitive and naturally find differences with one another. But they eventually learn to look past their egos, realizing they're all in this together. They eventually come to terms with the fact they are now America's spokespersons, and learn to respect and admire one another along their journey.

The cast is outstanding. Scott Glenn, Dennis Quaid, Ed Harris, and Fred Ward all give top-notch performances as Alan Shepherd, Gordo Cooper, John Glenn, and Gus Grissom. Acclaimed musician turned actor Levon Helm delivers one of the best lines in Movie History. Tom Conti's winning and inspirational score ties this historical epic together, which deservedly won an Academy Award for best original score.

The running time is slightly over 3 hours, but is never boring and seems most appropriate in retrospect to tell this epic story.

The fact that Terms of Endearment won best picture over The Right Stuff at the 1983 Oscars is a travesty. The Right Stuff is a timeless classic which will always retain it's power and glory, and serves as a historical time capsule to teach future generations of moviegoers what heroism and bravery are all about.

Wild Blue Yonder . . .

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 12 May 2004]

I've read Wolfe's book twice and seen this a dozen times, and although I enjoy the exciting story and the comedic interludes, there's something about both the book and the film that leaves me dissatisfied. And the book and the film are two rather different things, so I guess I'll try to ignore the book except to say that I can appreciate Wolfe's adoration of these guys, who are good-natured doers, not thinkers. But I wish he hadn't taken gratuitous swipes at liberals. Wolfe describes the immense popularity of the astronauts in the early 60s, due to the fact that they put their lives on the line, and contrasts it with the contemporary admiration of the Kennedys because, after all, THAT was based on "movie-star good looks." Kennedy of course was assassinated, as were Lincoln and McKinley, and others like Reagan and Teddy Roosevelt were wounded, and numerous others were shot at. Being an astronaut or president seems to be a dangerous business, and there's no need for discriminating between them on the basis of their political attitudes.

That said, the film still baffles me. I love seeing the planes and rockets blasting through space, backed up by an reverential and triumphant score. But the movie rather oversimplifies the things that are reported in the book and renders them almost childish. I'll give two examples of the sort of thing I mean, both involving John Glenn (Ed Harris).

At the first public presentation of the astronauts, the press ask them nudnik questions like, "Do you go to church regularly?" Scott Glenn replies, "As far as church is concerned -- I attend regularly," and he grins broadly, obviously lying. The others follow the same tack until we get to John Glenn, who launches into an enthusiastic and sincere speech ending in a peroration to American values. In the book, the others are aghast. Glenn has been an object of sport throughout the training period, an earnest dull man. But in the film, as Glenn is warming to his task, Gordo Cooper (Dennis Quaid) smiling at the audience says, "I don't believe this." If the remark was in the book it would definitely have been aimed at Glenn's speech. In the film it's not clear whether he's talking about Glenn or about the size and stupidity of the audience. At any rate Cooper too winds up giving a patriotic 100 percent American speech, which did not happen. It leaves a viewer feeling that the writers and the director were worried that too much cynicism (which the astronauts had in abundance) would alienate Middle America, so they took the edge out of the scene.

Later, when Glenn discovers that the others have acquired groupies, he gets into an argument, and almost a fistfight, with Shepherd. While the astronauts argue about whether they should keep their pants zipped, Gus Grissom (Fred Ward) stops them by shouting that their enemy isn't other astronauts, it's a monkey. Everybody stops fighting and turns to Grissom for an explanation. He explains that their real enemy is the chimp that the suits want to send into space first. The others agree with him and now form a solidary group. But that's no way to stop a fight! It leaves the zipper issue hanging, so to speak. What ABOUT those succulent numbers down at the bar? As an attempt to manipulate the audience the scene simply doesn't work, anymore than it would work with two testosterone-ridden pilots whose blood was up.

And there's more manipulation still, which I'll mention only briefly. The families are leaving a party after having met for the first time. Cooper's wife amiably greets Glenn's wife, who doesn't reply but simply stares back until Glenn puts his arm around her and guides her away. "Well -- she seems pretty snooty to me," says Cooper's wife, and Cooper adds, "Maybe she thinks she's too good for the Air Force," or something like that. In the next scene it's revealed that Glenn's wife has a speech impediment that embarrasses her when she talks to strangers. Let's face facts. Glenn has had years of marriage to get used to handling these kinds of situations, and the best he can do is to hustle his wife away without any explanation? All he has to do is say, "My wife has a slight stutter with people she doesn't know well. Excuse us."

The scene towards the end, when the astronauts are being feted in Texas, is a laugh a minute in the book. An entire gymnasium filled with loud good old boys drinking bourbon out of plastic glasses and pounding each other on the back and Sally Rand up there on the stage doing her fan dance. I saw the ancient Sally Rand in Las Vegas about the time this story takes place and it was embarrassing. Here, she is a beautiful young lady dancing gracefully to Clair de Lune, while the assembled astronauts smile proudly at one another and then gaze up towards the sky. What could have been a fine scene, bursting with irony, turns into sentimental slop.

I still watch it sometimes when it's on TV, but it still frustrates me too. It pushes the envelope and comes THAT close, but in the end it screws the pooch.

great when I was a kid, not so great now

[BrooklynBum · 4/10 · 7 February 2004]

What a difference two decades make! When I saw this in the theater as a kid, it was the best movie in the world. Fighter jets! Test pilots! Rockets! Astronauts! I just saw it again for the first time, and I know you can't relive that boyhood wonder, but there's nothing much in the movie to take its place. The acting by such a great cast, especially Fred Ward, Sam Shepard, Ed Harris, Harry Shearer, etc., keeps the movie from sinking like a swamped space capsule in the ocean. So much of the dialogue that's boiled down to the essence by Tom Wolfe in his book comes across as hammy and staged, even taking into consideration the squareness and the optimism of the time period. Only the sincerity of the actors' perfomances make you even try to swallow it. But the main disappointment is how low the humor is--all that's missing are snare shots and wolf whistles with the gags that only distract from the excitement of the subject matter. Shearer and Jeff Goldblum are great in their smaller roles, but what are their characters even doing in the movie? I was plain embarrassed by the goofy stuff. I 'm thankful, though, that the movie wasn't made now, otherwise in addition there'd be fart gags and scatological humor to boot.

"The Right Stuff": That Is Exactly What This Film Has

[tfrizzell · 4 August 2001]

Outstanding film from 1983 that was honored with four Academy Awards and is often called the second-best film of the 1980s behind only Scorsese's "Raging Bull". The movie is a 190-plus minute extravaganza which honors the U.S. Mercury 7 Astronauts. The all-star cast includes Sam Shepard (as Chuck Yeager in an Oscar-nominated role of a lifetime), Ed Harris (John Glenn), Scott Glenn (Alan Shepard), Fred Ward (Gus Grissom), Lance Henriksen (Walter Schirra), Dennis Quaid (Gordon Cooper), and Donald Moffat (Lyndon Baines Johnson). The film is solid in so many respects. It is meticulous and tries to go for drama and humor and succeeds in everything it wants to do. Veronica Cartwright, Barbara Hershey, Pamela Reed, Kathy Baker, and Mary Jo Deschanel are also along for the ride as several of the wives who attempt to keep their heads about them while they fear that their husbands are losing theirs. "The Right Stuff" is a historical lesson told in a way that is so clever and convincing that few will find fault with anything when it comes to the story-telling. Writer-director Philip Kaufman easily does the best work of his career with this masterpiece. Look for Cincinnati Bengal Hall-of-Famer Anthony Munoz in a cameo appearance. Arguably the best film of the 1980s and should have been the Best Picture Oscar winner over "Terms of Endearment" in 1983. 5 stars out of 5.

Fabulous

[drvxd · 10/10 · 9 February 2002]

Awesome. One of those movies that I can see time and again, yet each time I enjoy it as much as the first time I saw it. Fantastic cast, great music, brilliant script. Just the right combination of drama and humour - the sequence during which Al Shepard (played wonderfully by Scott Glenn) wants to relieve himself sitting atop Freedom 7, whilst the film cuts to images of the fire hose, the pouring coffee, the water cooler etc. is one of my all time favourites.

My only real criticism of the movie is the treatment of Grissom and the explosive hatch incident - the movie leaves it looking like it was Grissom's fault - but it has by now been well documented that it was indeed a malfunction.

Historical Drama, at it's best.

[Davidson-2 · 10/10 · 8 January 1999]

Here was a director and a writer who knew that they had a real story that needed a minimum amount of added-on work to make a fine movie. The time passing early on being marked by the fighter-jets evolution was very subtle. The haunting looks back at Edwards Air Force Base and Chuck Yeager's career seemed to ground the movie and remind you where all these heroes came from... and that there were MORE heroes waiting. Sam Shepard's portrayal of Mr. Yeager was particularly good, and I enjoy watching this film... every October 14th.

Excellent docu-drama on America's early spaceflight programme

[Megabuck · 8/10 · 25 August 1999]

The Right Stuff has been lauded as possibly the best space movie ever. I'm not sure that's right, since there's precious few seconds of this film that actually take place in space.

Instead, it's really a character study of the people involved in the incredibly risky business of taking America's first steps in manned space flight. There are a few action sequences, mostly involving Chuck Yeager, who could have been on the Mercury programme but for his lack of a college education. But this film is really about the people.

Yeager, in the shape of Sam Shepard, provides the early focus of the film, and also illustrates the way that Edwards AFB, and its collection of experimental aircraft, proved an irresistible magnet for the hot-shots of the time - many of whom paid the ultimate price for their bravado. Then, NASA starts hunting for potential astronauts - 'spam in a can', as the job is ironically described.

From this point on, the film concentrates on Alan Shepard (Scott Glenn), Gordie Cooper (Dennis Quaid) and John Glenn (Ed Harris), with Gus Grissom (Fred Ward) getting a look-in. The astronauts are built up as heroes by the film, albeit flawed heroes; there's some reference to extra-marital affairs, but without going into detail, probably because most of the people involved were still alive. But there's also quite a lot of humour, too, with the 'enema' scene notable in bringing them down a notch or two.

The whole episode has been romanticised, but not in a heavy-handed fashion. Some of the other reviews have criticised it for being too gung-ho, for being too rabidly patriotic, and for not portraying the Russian efforts. Such criticisms aren't valid. Firstly, the film is set when the Cold War was at its height, and success in space was seen as a vital battle in that war. It's portrayed as gung-ho because, quite simply, it was. As for not portraying the Russian programme, that would be a strange thing to do in a film which is so clearly focussed on the people involved in the American effort.

To be taken with a fair-sized pinch of salt, but definitely recommended - over three hours long, but the time simply passed, without the film ever seeming to be stretched too thin.

Number two on my list of my top ten movies of all time!

[lheenan · 10/10 · 3 January 2011]

We watched this movie on blue ray tonight. Even though we have watched and enjoyed it so many times, we noticed new aspects and felt that same swell of pride in times and events that have become history. Watching this movie and even reading the book always makes me think how much I wish I would have paid more attention when the events were happening. I guess we were busy living our lives.

So many of the men who are portrayed in The Right Stuff have since passed on. But watching them in the forties, fifties and sixties brings back so many memories of what it was like to live in Central Florida at the time near Cocoa Beach, Cape Canaveral, Patrick AFB and Martin-Marietta. Fun to watch the scenes "filmed" there or made to look like Cocoa Beach in the fifties and sixties.

Better than the book and, in my opinion, one of the best movies ever made.

Fun flick that's long on legend, short on truth

[richreed-1 · 7/10 · 1 July 2009]

Take a series of events that by themselves stir the imagination and the soul, romanticize and embellish them in a novel by a pop-culture author, then take that novel and give it the Hollywood treatment, and you end up with something that's long on legend, short on truth, but who cares? It features historic people and airplanes, excellent cinematography, a gang of stellar actors and even acceptable model and special effects work.

Unlike Tom Wolf's novel, the movie ignores the Navy's Pax River and gives all the glory to Edwards AFB and the Zoomies. The CAF's "FIFI," the last flying B-29, has a major role as the X-1's "mothership," as well as a privately-owned F-104 Starfighter out of Mojave as the plane that almost killed Chuck Yeager. The real General Yeager has a bit role as a crusty old prospector doing bartender duty at the watering hole the Edwards pilots hang out in. The scene where Harry Shearer and Jeff Goldblum, playing two NASA flunkies, are bad-mouthing Yeager because he has no college degree, all while the real Yeager, playing the bartender, is standing in back of them listening in, is precious.

While the plot and action centers on Yeager and the original seven Mercury astronauts, two actresses are worth watching: Veronica Cartwright does her usual great job as Betty Grissom ("I want to have lunch with Jackie!!") and the ever-versatile and talented Pamela Reed as Gordon Cooper's long-suffering wife, Trudy, who has some of the best lines in the movie (referring to the macho Edwards test pilots, "But they sure are handy assholes.").

A bit of tragic trivia: Jane Dornacker, the talented actress, comedienne and musician who "uglied up" to play Nurse Murch in the hilarious "sperm count scene", later a traffic reporter in New York City for WNBC radio, was killed when her helicopter lost its tail rotor, narrowly missed a pier and crashed into the Hudson River. At the time of the crash she was live on the air, and her screams "Hit the water! Hit the water" were heard by literally thousands of stunned New York commuters.

long but lean, heroic but very knowing, visually gorgeous and well-acted

[Quinoa1984 · 10/10 · 9 April 2009]

I'm not sure why I put off, or just didn't get around, to seeing the Right Stuff. I could take my pick, but really I was never made to sit down by my parents or in school or other to watch it, and... screw the excuses, I wasn't sure about a 193 minute movie about astronauts as a kid. But now having seen it it's quite clear I was missing something fairly excellent in the cannon of the "Bio-pic". It's one of those true compelling 20th century stories, and the filmmaker Philip Kaufman cares about all of these real guys so much that it moves right over into the cinematic treatment of the characters. And more impressively considering its ensemble there's almost a key character to the mix with Chuck Yeagher, the first man to break the sound barrier who never got into NASA with all the other go-for-broke test pilots, but did taste that rush up to the sky just once - and what a rush.

This is film-making of a superlative caliber. It is such a story that is told extraordinarily because of how it takes itself seriously as a historical document, but never so much so as to get in a great joke - the kind of natural joking that people do, such as the few quips done by Yeagher in the cockpit to whoever was listening after breaking the sound barrier, which actually happened - or some sliver of satire to the mix. It pleases both as an emotional experience, one of those rousing and inspiring tales, and also at times intellectual. We see the lives of these guys, of Yeagher, Shepard, Glenn, Cooper, Grissom, and their wives too. The Right Stuff is a very human story, told with an approximate awe for the subject matter and an attitude that says "we can be epic, but we can also point out the flaws that come around in human nature."

There were so many obstacles that could have come, and sometimes did, for the folks at NASA, the scientists as well as the handful that were picked to do missions up into space in direct competition with America's foe the Russians, that all the astronauts could sometimes do would be to joke or give a hard-lined measure. We see some expected things like a big press conference, but we also see things that ring so true that they feel so real as minor events, like when the scientists are showing the astronauts the pod without a window or proper escape hatch and they all band together to put pressure on them to do it right or else the press will hear all hell (the wording in this scene is very good). The veneer of pure heroism is shown for what it is, as something of not always a tricky thing; the film was criticized by some of the original astronauts for the depiction of Gus Grissom (if only because Grissom had passed on in tragedy and couldn't do it himself), but his story of going into space, and the aftermath with his wife, is important to show for the story the film's trying to tell.

That's one of the remarkable things in the Right Stuff, which is giving as much equal time and depth as possible to these guys, and their wives at other times. We see Dennis Quaid's cocky pilot saying he's the best their is, and then another where he suddenly becomes like 12 years old in front of the female doctor as she speaks/laughs with his wife behind doors. We see Ed Harris' John Glenn as the supposed spokesperson of the group, the "Dudley Do-Right" as it were, but then the slightest bit of uncertainty - not to mention a really well told drama with his wife, who was a stutterer, and stood up against being pressured by Vice President Johnson.

Little details all add up in the film, and even the ones that don't entirely work (i.e. the cut-aways to the aborigines during Glenn's flight up in space) still carry some worth as far as being filmed wonderfully or with a strange quality that makes it fun to watch - any other director might take out the crucial detail of Alan Shepard urinating in his suit before the very first successful launch of a US man into space, but it's left in, and stronger for it. And as far as just details with the characters go, all you need to see is the kind of simple but very strong representation of death in the man in the black suit and hat who has to pay call to those who've lost their husbands or fathers up in the sky.

And, thankfully for such a long running time, we're given several moments in terms of the power of cinematic technique, of showing us the subjective perspective of what those who orbit the Earth see and the views outside the windows at so many countless miles up in the atmosphere. Basically any scene with Chuck Yeagher is one of these, especially early on but then also towards the end with his absolutely stunning bittersweet moment of going up to the sky and, well, nearly dying in a last-minute jump from the plane into flames. Kaufman takes the audience into these moments, and even just quiet or interesting ones with the actors, and imbues it all with just enough importance to level off the occasional goofiness he allows his character or in the choice of edits (watch as the chimps, being spin around in that big circular thing are cut with Glenn spinning around). That it's also one of those outstanding ensembles helps a great deal too.

It's exciting and refreshingly bittersweet Hollywood cinema, and at the least of the must-see pictures of 1983.

Nice film about the beginnings of the US space program with a long star cast and spectacular images

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 20 April 2012]

This story broadly painted deals with the beginnings of the US space career and the first seven Mercury astronauts , being based on Tom Wolf's nonfiction novel . The space began when Chuck Yeager (Sam Shepard who played legendary pilot , is actually afraid of flying) broke the sound barrier and scorching Mach 2 and following to other aviation pioneers , the Mercury mission with 7 astronauts , the suicide squadron who volunteer for astronaut training is formed by a motley cast (Fred Ward , Dennis Quaid , Lance Henriksen , Ed Harris , Scott Glenn and Scott Paulin) , showing that no one had a clue how to run a space program or how to select volunteers to be in it. It was after the Soviets successfully launched the Sputnik satellite in 1959, that the U.S. redoubled its efforts to surpass at their trail of glory in the sky .

Electrifying film with credible interpretations but overlong and oddly uninvolving , based on Tom Wolfe's ambitious book about the history of the U.S. Space program , it reads like a novel . However , Tom Wolfe, was unhappy with the film because he felt it made too many changes to the book. William Goldman, the original screenwriter before he left the project also disliked it because he didn't like the way Philip Kaufman portrayed Chuck Yeager as the only hero in the film, while the rest of the astronauts only got lucky and didn't match up to him in any way. The film has that same fictional quality ; furthermore is thrilling , imaginative , rowdy and overlong -at more than three hours , including unnecessary material - all at once . The picture attempts hardly to tell the tale of human beings as well as the space conquest . The movie tries to narrate parallel stories , though it never quite successfully integrate them . It covers the breaking of the sound barrier by Chuck Yeager -Sam Shepard- as a test pilot of the old breed , giving a nice and charming performance . It provides an all-star-cast who bolster a fine movie with special mention to Ed Harris playing John Glen who subsequently was running for President . The main cast is perfectly completed by known secondaries as Barbara Hershey , Pamela Reed , Veronica Cartwright , Kathy Baker , David Clennon , Scott Wilson , Jeff Goldblum , Royal Dano , Donald Moffat among others . Special effects work and production design by Geoffrey Kirkland is spectacular and could hardly be bettered ; however , some moments relies heavily from stock-shots . Colorful and atmospheric cinematography by Caleb Deschanel , the role of Annie Glenn was the first film role for his wife , Mary Jo Deschanel . Imaginative and evocative musical score composed and conducted by Bill Conti . The film's music temp track consisted of music from Holst's The Planets, Henry Mancini's score for The White Dawn and various other classical pieces which were favorites of Director 'Philip Kaufman'.

¨Right stuff¨ results to be Philip Kaufman's one of the most successful films . He's a good filmmaker and little prolific who left some great moments in histories that not be forgotten , giving enough inspired images to make linger in the memory such as happens in ¨Right stuff¨ . Kaufman realized a Western ¨Great Northfield Minnessota Raid¨, a youthful tale as ¨The Wanderers¨, Sci-Fi ¨ as ¨Invasion body snatchers¨and two sexual stories ¨Unbearable lightness of being¨ and ¨Henry and June¨.

Rambunctious adventure/drama based on real events.

[jckruize · 9/10 · 30 October 2002]

My dad doesn't just hate this movie. He hates the whole IDEA of this movie, as well as the book it was based on. A World War II veteran who contentedly swallowed the LIFE magazine account of NASA's space program hook, line and sinker, it offends him mightily to entertain the notion that the men (and occasional women) who participated in it might have been real people, with fears and flaws and foibles. Nope, my dad thinks the original seven Mercury astronauts are Heroes with a capital 'H', fearless, square-jawed and true; family men who went to church every Sunday and never ever cussed. That's the LIFE magazine version and by God he's stickin' to it!

For the rest of us, this movie is a kick. An epic take on Tom Wolfe's marvelous book by writer/director Philip Kaufman, it's a rollercoaster ride of gut-wrenching aerial and orbital derring-do, pungent satire, quiet human moments and stirring patriotism. Because what Wolfe and Kaufman appreciated, and so effectively convey in their respective portrayals of actual events, is that it takes MORE courage to do things when you're scared, when you know you're only 'Spam in a can' and there isn't much you can do to keep from getting blown up, and that you better just grit your teeth and hang on because SOMEBODY's got to do it, and you're that somebody.

Real heroes in this world are guys like these astronauts, and guys like my dad, fighting in the war. They knew they could get killed, but they did it anyway. That's real guts. That's what The Right Stuff is all about.

What The Hell Does Astronaut Mean Anyway ?

[ShootingShark · 7/10 · 20 September 2009]

Following the first successful supersonic flight, the US government embarks on Project Mercury, an ambitious programme of space exploration, and sets about finding and training the right men to be America's first astronauts.

Based on Tom Wolfe's non-fiction book, this is a fantastic account of the origins of NASA from Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier in 1948 to Gordo Cooper orbiting the earth twenty-two times in 1963. What makes it so good is that it very sensibly doesn't try to change what happened. Too many movies based on actual events change things for whatever reason, but real life is crazy and silly enough not to have to. So, yes, Yeager did break his ribs and couldn't close his aircraft door, yes, John Glenn did see fireflies in outer space, yes, many of the chief scientists on both sides were German (most from the V-2 Rocket project), yes, Cooper fell asleep on the launchpad, yes Lyndon Johnson really was like that. Why make stuff up when truth is stranger than fiction ? Kaufman takes all the juiciest, funniest and most dramatic bits from this incredible endeavour and turns in a film which is a great ensemble piece, an incredible historical document, and an evocative depiction of the wonder and majesty of the exploration of outer space. When Glenn orbits in Friendship 7 and cries little tears of light reflected on his helmet, the movie reaches its most sublime moment, a triumphant distillation of what mankind is capable of. Just as dazzling is the technical artistry which went into the making of this film, invisibly mixing up footage shot twenty years apart, recreating not only the period but incredibly detailed events within it, using visual effects in the most creative way. The big cast is simply one of the best I've ever seen in any movie ever, with Harris, Glenn, Moffat and Reed all just outstanding, but absolutely everybody is good in this (Goldblum and Shearer are a very funny double act). Everything else - music, design, photography, editing, wardrobe - is seamlessly integrated into this incredible story, and Kaufman pulls the very best out his army of people. I find long pictures often drag and are self-indulgent, and anything that comes out at three hours had better be up to Kurosawa standards or I usually want to rip it to shreds (Reds, JFK, most movies by Richard Attenborough). This is different though; both the story and the treatment deserve the long running time, and the end result is a brilliant film which, if nothing else, reminds us what we can achieve. Don't miss it.

Unfortunately and seriously flawed.

[jaigurudavid · 3/10 · 22 January 2019]

When this came out, I loved it. Even though I knew some of the special effects were cheesy and inaccurate. However, I thought it brought to attention something that I love - - the history of the US based program.

Over the years, however, I have come to understand that this film does a great disservice to an American hero. The book and the film both portray Gus Grissom as a panicky, incompetent astronaut. He was the exact opposite. NASA knew this, and that is why he was assigned the second American space flight, the first flight of the two man Gemini spacecraft, and was training to command the first Apollo mission when he was tragically killed in the fire along with Ed White and Roger Chaffee.

It's very unfortunate that the author and filmmakers opted to inject drama that just wasn't there, and that damages the reputation of a great American.