The Right Stuff

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The Right Stuff

PG

1983

3h 13m

History

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

53 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

This adaptation of the non-fiction novel by Tom Wolfe chronicles the first 15 years of America's space program. By focusing on the lives of the Mercury astronauts, including John Glenn (Ed Harris) and Alan Shepard (Scott Glenn), the film recounts the dangers and frustrations experienced by those involved with NASA's earliest achievements. It also depicts their family lives and the personal crises they endured during an era of great political turmoil and technological innovation.

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Critics Consensus

The Right Stuff packs a lot of movie into its hefty running time, spinning a colorful, fact-based story out of consistently engaging characters in the midst of epochal events.

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Richard Roeper

Chicago Sun-Times

10/28/2023

It still thrills with its expert casting and dazzling visuals.

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

09/13/2023

The Right Stuff gives off a pleasurable hum: it’s the writer-director Philip Kaufman’s enjoyment of the subject, the actors, and moviemaking itself.

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Adam Nayman

The Ringer

03/27/2020

Where 2001: A Space Odyssey depicted astronauts (and mankind) as being at the mercy of some higher, alien intelligence, The Right Stuff finds its characters imposing their will on the unknown.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

02/06/2025

7/10

Informative, straightforward, and an admirable dramatization of a monumental era and program and its key players.

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Alan Jones

Starburst

08/01/2022

This timely delve into the past - warts and all - to uncover the roots of a future we are now participating in has a basic ingredient that so many films lately have lacked. And that is integrity

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Taylor Baker

Drink in the Movies

09/01/2021

90/100

Episode 12: Away We Go

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Ed B.

@EdLee May 18

The Right Stuff, is one of those films that really hits the mark in every way. Starts off with Chuck Yeager and X1 , breaking the sound barrier. Then to the Mercury Program by NASA in early 1960s. Acting is superb, and movie captures the patriotism America had during the time period. Love this movie.

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Meri S.

@mschroeder Feb 21

I’m really not into space travel, but my husband is, so he introduced this movie to me. With that being said this movie gave me an education into the venture the US took into space travel. It’s an epic watch at 3+ hours. Loved ed Harris as John Glenn.

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Jon G

@RT43191456 Aug 17

Still one of the best movies of all time in my opinion.

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Kyle M

@RT77296778 Jul 6

The 80s’ “Apollo 13” just as crowd-pleasing with uplifting sensationalism over stunning imagery backed up by beautifully captivating score to partially express the stellar craftsmanship that transcends its historical facts, aside from how impeccably casted it is to not only solidify the descriptive entertainment value plus bolsters their calibers in appreciation from their respective peaks but also eponymously qualified to be its year’s best. (A-)

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Clark O

@RT58294919 06/27/2025

Incredible. Simply INCREDIBLE. Period.

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Jithin K

@Jithin 05/08/2025

So Top Gun Maverick was actually giving homage to this movie with its opening scene. A very well-made movie that tries a lot of things and succeeds in them. My problems with it are all in the intentionality itself. I expected the movie to be very close to the true story because of how much it firmly stands by American exceptionalism while subtly and smartly satirizing everything wrong with that in America. I'm already too fed up with such "American" stories in the first place, but then I found out that there are too many historical inaccuracies, too. The way the movie tries to make the prologue and epilogue portions poignant was very well directed, but still felt weird, especially because of how different the rest of the movie is, but still, it was a nice change of pace. I was surprised to see Ed Harris and searched for his age. At least he was able to look exactly the same for the next 30 years after this movie.

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Philip Kaufman

Director

Sam Shepard

Capt

Scott Glenn

Capt. Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr., Mercury Astronaut

Ed Harris

Maj. John Herschel Glenn Jr., Mercury Astronaut

Dennis Quaid

Gordon Cooper

Fred Ward

Gus Grissom

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Synopsis

This adaptation of the non-fiction novel by Tom Wolfe chronicles the first 15 years of America's space program. By focusing on the lives of the Mercury astronauts, including John Glenn (Ed Harris) and Alan Shepard (Scott Glenn), the film recounts the dangers and frustrations experienced by those involved with NASA's earliest achievements. It also depicts their family lives and the personal crises they endured during an era of great political turmoil and technological innovation.

Director: Philip Kaufman
Producer: Robert Chartoff, Irwin Winkler
Screenwriter: Philip Kaufman, Tom Wolfe
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: The Ladd Company
Rating: PG
Genre: History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 9, 1983, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 15, 2008
Runtime: 3h 13m
Sound Mix: Surround, Magnetic Stereo 6 Track, Dolby
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)