The Right Stuff

Name: The Right Stuff
Genre: Adventure, Biography, Drama, History
Released: October 21, 1983
Duration: 193 min
Rating: 91
Cast: Barbara Hershey, Dennis Quaid, Ed Harris, Fred Ward, Kim Stanley

1983

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 16 Critic Reviews

See All

USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 27 Ratings

See All

8.0

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

8.0	Your Score
8.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 27 Ratings

Would you like to write a review?

There is a 75 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. Please do not use ALL CAPS. There is no linking or other HTML allowed. Your review may be edited for content. 0/5000

Check box if your review contains spoilers

Play Sound

Please enter your birth date to watch this video:

You are not allowed to view this material at this time.

The Right Stuff

Now Playing: The Right Stuff

Movie Details & Credits

Columbia-EMI-Warner | Release Date: October 21, 1983 | PG

Starring: Barbara Hershey, Dennis Quaid, Ed Harris, Fred Ward, Kim Stanley, Pamela Reed, Sam Shepard, Scott Glenn, Scott Paulin, Veronica Cartwright

Summary: The story of the original Mercury 7 astronauts and their macho, seat-of-the-pants approach to the space program.

Director: Philip Kaufman

Genre(s): Adventure, Biography, Drama, History

Rating: PG

Runtime: 193 min

See All Details and Credits

Watch Now

Buy on

Stream On

Expand

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

100

Roger Ebert

Kaufman's love for the Yeager character pays off in the magical closing sequence of the film, when the "best pilot in the world" eyeballs anew Air Force jet and says, "I have a feeling this little old plane right here might be able to beat that Russian record." Read full review

100

TV Guide Magazine Staff (Not Credited)

Director-writer Philip Kaufman's script 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. Read full review

100

Pauline Kael

The movie has the happy, enthusiastic spirit of a fanfare, and it's astonishingly entertaining considering how divided it is in spirit...Whatever one's reservations, the film is great fun to watch.

100

Arthur Knight

Rarely has a film made a historic accomplishment seem so vivid and personal. Read full review

The Guardian Alex von Tunzelmann

There are moments of dramatic licence, but overall The Right Stuff is a terrific historical film about the space race: accurately reflective of a complex reality, beautifully filmed, and done with wit, energy and an impressive sense of balance. Top marks. Read full review

Jay Scott

THE THREE hours and 10 minutes of The Right Stuff fly by faster than a plane snapping the sound barrier - there's never a moment that's not entertaining, and there are very few that are not wonderfully photographed and choreographed - but for the non-American, the excitement is confined to the filmmaking. [22 Oct 1983]

Bill Cosford

It is long. Very, very long...And it feels its length, feels every bit the 190 minutes of it. This is a problem for a movie. A movie can be any length at all if its audience remains unaware of its artifice, remains suspended in time. But in The Right Stuff, we are always aware that there's a movie going on, rather than lives on a screen; by the end, there is the feeling of having been dragged through recent history, feet first. The Right Stuff is exciting from time to time; it has its jolts and its snaps and its nostalgic tweaks. But there is more to a roller coaster than a bumpy ride, and The Right Stuff does not thrill. [16 Oct 1983, p.L1]

SEE ALL 16 REVIEWS

Write a Review

User Reviews

Popcorn55

Oct 15, 2018

This is the only film I have ever seen where the entire cinema audience, spontaneously, stood up at the end with a standing ovation. It's that engrossing, and that well done, and stays true to the spirit of Tom Wolfe's book, which is itself one of the great masterpieces of AmericanThis is the only film I have ever seen where the entire cinema audience, spontaneously, stood up at the end with a standing ovation. It's that engrossing, and that well done, and stays true to the spirit of Tom Wolfe's book, which is itself one of the great masterpieces of American literature, vividly conveying the drama, humor, tragedy, and glory of US experimental aviation and spaceflight in the 1950s and early 60s.

One of the greatest ensemble casts ever put together delivers many simultaneous career-best performances as the Mercury Seven. Astoundingly well-cast, with the slight exception of Sam Shepherd who's just a little too movie-star for the Yeager part and whose fake drawl doesn't quite make it. However, they managed to get the *actual* Yeager in there, as a local yokel in a bar scene, so it all evens out I guess.

Considering the relatively primitive special effects technology available in those times, it's notable how good the flight scenes are compared to more recent big-budget films -- in many scenes better than "First Man", for example. The director, editor, and cinematographer just had superior skills and execution compared to their counterparts today. They did much more, with much less.

This film needs to be brought back for another go-round, another wide release, so that a new generation can stand up and cheer one of the great stories of American history.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

geewah

Jan 21, 2021

An entertaining and compelling biopic that at times becomes a slog with it's 3 hour plus running time.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Tyranian

Oct 20, 2019

Reasonably entertaining, well-acted and directed but not always compelling over a long runtime.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

SEE ALL 3 REVIEWS