The Right Stuff (1983)

Wonderful character development!

To me, this movie is perfection.

the audience applauded

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

A movie can't get much better than with this cast depicting these great Americans! Even the name scheme works - Ed Harris plays John Glenn; Scott Glenn plays Alan Shepard; Sam Shepard plays Chuck Yeager; and, Scott Wilson plays Scott Crossfield!?!? Pretty cool! :)Although not one of the 'Original Seven,' the movie gives much credit to Chuck Yeager for his speed records and contributions to flight. The movie does the same for Scott Crossfield, also not one of the original seven, for his record as the first man to fly at Mach 2 (twice the speed of sound).I grew up after the period in which this movie takes place, but, as a child, I did follow NASA's space program throughout the late 1960s and all through the 1970s; so, to me, this is a very exciting and groundbreaking, fact-based film.The movie follows Alan Shepard, the first American in space (Russian Yuri Gagarin was the first person in space); Donald "Deke" Slayton, NASA's first Chief of the Astronaut Office; Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom, the second American in space and first American to fly in space twice; John Glenn, the first American to orbit the earth in the Friendship 7; Scott Carpenter, the second American to orbit the earth; Wally Schirra, Commander of Apollo 7; and, Gordon Cooper, who manned the longest and final Mercury spaceflight in 1963.I could go on and on about how detailed and informational this exciting film is, but, it's best to experience it for yourself. Anyone who likes speedy and exhilarating thrill-rides about awesome flying machinery that began America's space program...this is for you! :)

I saw this movie almost 30 years ago and remember I liked it. Saw it today and was a quite disappointed. "The Right Stuff" suffers from a number of faults.  First of all: Most of the "humour elements" are really just not working. Many politicians, most administrators, both military and civilian, and definitely "ze German Rokketmän" were serious, intelligent and dedicated  people. Not semi-idiots. And, I doubt that the pilots and astronauts really were that laconic. What about civilians stumbling seasick on a flat top flight deck? Never! Thyen the heavy handed twists: Like always showing the press people with the sound of locusts and/or rattlesnakes? Please … stop!  All these minor annoying elements together really damages the film. Then there are certain scenes that could be shortened or removed, like the briefing room- scenes (A clerk is shown running through the corridors with breaking news of soviet shots while people are watching soviet newsreels about the same event. Logical?)  On the other hand, there are many short glimpses that really need better explaining 50-60 years on. Like who was the landlady? (A forgotten legend).  Other issues are more serious. Did Grissom freak out and blow the hatch? The movie suggests this, but if NASA really doubted  Grissom  he would not have been in the Apollo- project. And, so on … On the upside: Production, props and locations still make this a beautiful, beautiful movie to watch, there is a lot of very good acting, and, most important: "The Right Stuff" still captures the MAGIC of early space exploration, a time when dreams came true.  So "The Right Stuff" is still worth watching, but maybe someone can make a "fan edit", closer to the (brilliant) book and historical facts. Cutting down the silliness and removing loose ends, while getting down to the core of the story will make this slightly faded movie great again. (sorry about any errors, English is not my native language)

I caught this movie on one of the movie channels again the other night, and realized how much I love this movie. I am a flight/space buff so of course it appeals to me. But aside from that, the acting, special effects, story line, everything is good to the point of making it a good film. It has just the right mix of seriousness and comic relief to make it enjoyable to watch and entertaining as well. The movie shows how pitifully far behind the Russians we were in the space race, yet we somehow managed to catch up.The one issue I have with the movie is how it portrays Gus Grissom being at fault for blowing the hatch to his capsule, while in actuality NASA concluded that he was correct. The astronauts had to punch a large switch with the side of their closed fist to blow the hatch, leaving tell-tale bruising on their hands. Grissom never had any bruising on his hand so could not have blown the hatch himself.However, this is one of those movies which I've seen several times, but every time it comes on again I'll want to sit and watch the whole thing.

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¨.