The Right Stuff (1983)
Average Rating: 8.8/10
Reviews Counted: 39
Fresh: 38 | Rotten: 1
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 9/10
Critic Reviews: 5
Fresh: 5 | Rotten: 0
No consensus yet.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.9/5
User Ratings: 21,205
Movie Info
Covering some 15 years, The Right Stuff recounts the formation of America's space program, concentrating on the original Mercury astronauts. Scott Glenn plays Alan Shepard, the first American in space; Fred Ward is Gus Grissom, the benighted astronaut for whom nothing works out as planned; and Ed Harris is John Glenn, the straight-arrow "boy scout" of the bunch who was the first American to orbit the earth. The remaining four Mercury boys are Deke Slayton (Scott Paulin), Scott Carpenter (Charles
Oct 21, 1983 Wide
Aug 27, 1997
Warner Bros. Pictures
Watch It Now
Cast
-
Sam Shepard
Chuck Yeager -
Scott Glenn
Alan Shepard -
Ed Harris
John Glenn -
Dennis Quaid
Gordon Cooper -
Fred Ward
Gus Grissom -
Barbara Hershey
Glennis Yeager -
Kim Stanley
Pancho Barnes -
Veronica Cartwright
Betty Grissom -
Pamela Reed
Trudy Cooper -
Scott Paulin
Deke Slayton -
Charles Frank
Scott Carpenter -
Lance Henriksen
Wally Schirra -
Donald Moffat
Lyndon B. Johnson -
Mary Jo Deschanel
Annie Glenn -
Scott Wilson
Scott Crossfield -
Kathy Baker
Louise Shepard -
Mickey Crocker
Marge Slayton -
Susan Kase
Rene Carpenter -
Mittie Smith
Jo Schirra -
Royal Dano
Minister -
David Clennon
Liaison Man -
Jim Haynie
Air Force Major -
Harry Shearer
recruiter -
Jeff Goldblum
recruiter -
Scott Beach
Chief Scientist -
Jane Dornacker
Nurse Murch -
Anthony Munoz
Gonzales -
John P. Ryan
Head of Program -
Darryl Henriques
Life Reporter -
Mary Apick
Woman Reporter -
Robert Beer
Dwight D. Eisenhower -
Ed Corbett
Texan -
Tom Dahlgren
Bell Aircraft Execut... -
John Dehner
Henry Luce -
Bob Elross
Review Board Preside... -
David Gulpilil
Aborigine -
John X. Heart
The Permanent Press ... -
Levon Helm
Jack Ridley/Narrator -
Ed Holmes
The Permanent Press ... -
O-Lan Jones
Pretty Girl -
Kaaren Lee
Young Widow -
Michael Pritchard
Texan -
William Russ
Stick Goodlin -
Eric Sevareid
Himself -
-
Gen. Chuck Yeager
Fred -
Edward Anhalt
Grand Designer -
James Brady
Aide to Lyndon B. Jo... -
Katherine Conklin
Woman TV Rerporter -
Maureen Coyne
Waitress -
Richard Duppell
The Permanent Press ... -
-
William Hall
The Permanent Press ...
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All Critics (39) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (38) | Rotten (1) | DVD (24)
Moviegoers seeking a grand yet edifying entertainment, right-stuffed with what Kaufman calls "seriousness of subject matter and a wild humor that comes out of left field," now know where to look...
Top CriticThe Right Stuff is a humdinger. Full of beauty, intelligence and excitement, this big-scale look at the development of the US space program and its pioneering aviators provides a fresh, entertaining look back at the recent past.
From the opening moments it is clear that we have the nearest modern equivalent to a Western: men of quiet virtue going skyward, leaving the tawdry world of log-rolling politicians behind.
These men remain virtually flawless heroes, almost too good, decent and brave to be true, and it's a measure of how successful the movie is that one is inclined to believe it.
That the writer-director, Philip Kaufman, is able to get so much into a little more than three hours is impressive. That he also has organized this material into one of the best recent American movies is astonishing.
History, melodrama, comedy and satire are skilfully combined in this consistently exciting adventure. Visually and dramatically it rarely sags, there's a vivid array of characters and though it's a film with issues, these never eclipse the human drama.
One of the scattered handful of truly great American movies in the first half of the 1980s.
Educational, exciting action, great acting.
Though critically acclaimed, Philip Kaufman's superbly realized adventure about the early Space Age was a commercial flop, due to its satirical tone and unfortunately close association with the presidential candidacy of John Glenn.
Historical drama as well as vastly entertaining adventure.
Consistently compelling, capturing all the ambiguity and tension of the book.
Along with Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America it's the last great American epic -- the kind of film that couldn't be made today.
Kaufman's enormously entertaining history of America's Mercury astronauts fizzled on release, maybe because it was too smart and cool for its own good.
Brings a wealth of humor to a faithful retelling of the astronauts' fascinating stories, the actors fit smoothly into their roles and even physically resemble their characters, and the direction is well-paced and visually exciting.
Unjustly labeled a failure after its disappointing box office run, The Right Stuff's tarnished reputation can only benefit from Warner's sparkling new 2-disc special edition.
Clumsy without being mediocre.
A winning and well-acted portrait of America's entry into the Space Age that is awesome, funny, surreal and right on the mark in its depiction of the country's insatiable hunger for new frontiers.
One of the fastest-paced epics ever made
Bored me to death, but it was the first time I was hit on, so it was worth it.
even though the total is less than the sum of its parts, it's pretty impressive nevertheless
Audience Reviews for The Right Stuff
Super Reviewer
The primary focus of the film, and most of the book (from what I've been told) really only scratches the surface, as trying to tell the complete story would take like 10-11 hours or so. But the film uses its 193 minute running time to great effect, contrasting the lives of the men and their wives with the broader spectrum of the political and social contexts of the time. And, being an adaptation of Wolfe, there's also the nice undercurrents of countercultural liberal subversiveness at times.
This is a very well made film, and cinematically yes it is truly amazing. As far as accuracy and history go, well, the film does suffer, and many of the people whose lives were the basis for this were rather critical of the portrayal of the times and events, and even Wolfe was very displeased with how this turned out, but even then, this is still a remarkable and wonderful piece of work, and one of the many great examples of "they don't make 'em like this anymore". And they probably wouldn't be able to either, at least not without some major changes.
That's fine though, because this film does a great job of bringing out a sense of wonder and excitement. These men were real heroes who risked their lives to try to go where no one had gone before, and to try to do it before the Russians, since, at least then, that truly meant something. It really makes you yearn to achieve something great like this, and especially from a relatively low tech perspective. No super advanced computers at that time (being depicted in the film), and no digital technology to tell the film's story with either, so this really makes you appreciate the craft since there's no CGI.
The ensemble cast is very notable here, and they give some terrific performances. To name a few: Fred Ward, Scott Glenn, Sam Shepherd, Dennis Quaid, Ed Harris, Barbara Hershey, Veronica Cartwright, and Pamela Reed. The cinematography is quite excellent, and overall the film really looks and feels as epic as its story. A main reason for this would have to be Bill Conti's rousing score, especially when the brass kick in, really leaving you stirred up.
The film mostly uses it's long running time to great effect, giving tons of development to the characters, letting the story breathe, and keeping things from being even more rushed. That said, it does drag here and there at times, but the film also has a nice balance where tone is concerned, so there's a blend of humor, drama, adventure, etc.
All in all, this is a fine film that, despite iffy history, is cinematically a high water mark for docudramas, and a great look at a wonderful moment in time.
Super Reviewer
Movies Like The Right Stuff
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- Gus Grissom: F***in-A bubba.
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- Gus Grissom: No bucks, No Buck Rogers.
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- Gus Grissom: I did NOT do anything wrong. The hatch just BLEW. It was a GLITCH. It was a- a TECHNICAL MALFUNCTION. Why in hell won't anyone believe me?
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- Jack Ridley/Narrator: There was a demon that lived in the air. They said whoever challenged him would die. Their controls would freeze up. Their planes would buffet wildly and they would disintegrate. The demon lived at mach 1 on the meter, 750 miles an hour, where the air could no longer move out of the way. He lived behind a barrier through which they said no man could ever pass. They called it the sound barrier.
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Foreign Titles
- Der Stoff, aus dem die Helden sind (DE)
- L'Étoffe des héros (FR)
