The Right Stuff

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Videos & Photos

  • Trailer 1

Movie Info & Cast

Director:

Philip Kaufman

Producer:

James D. Brubaker, Robert Chartoff, Irwin Winkler

Release Date:

Oct 21, 1983

Runtime:

3hr 13m

Synopsis

The U.S. space program's development from the breaking of the sound barrier to selection of the Mercury 7 astronauts, from a group of test pilots with a more seat-of-the-pants approach than the program's more cautious engineers preferred.

Cast

  • Sam Shepard
  • Scott Glenn
  • Ed Harris
  • Dennis Quaid
  • Fred Ward
  • Barbara Hershey
  • Kim Stanley
  • Veronica Cartwright
  • Jane Dornacker

Letterboxd User Reviews

4.0
69.3K
39.0K
17.2K
RATINGS 514 FANS
4.0
  • Oct 25, 2014

    one of the great entertainments. and golly gee whiz did it inspire INTERSTELLAR. it also inspired this entry to be so uninteresting, because i watched the film for a piece related to Interstellar, which is the film that has completely sapped my critical faculties dry…

    424 Likes
    davidehrlich
    davidehrlich
    Jun 2, 2023

    “There was a demon who lived in the air…” Director Phillip Kauffman’s love letter to the Mercury Space Program is really a love letter to a certain ephemeral essence. It can easily be dismissed as a love letter to American exceptionalism, provided you overlook its…

    364 Likes
    Christopher McQuarrie
    Christopher McQuarrie
    Nov 11, 2013

    73/100 Begins and ends weakly: the Yeager prologue strains too hard to be iconic (and is rife with tin-eared dialogue, unlike the rest of the movie—"We did it! We finally broke the sound barrier" someone cries, as if anyone in earshot or in the audience hadn't worked that…

    250 Likes
    Mike D'Angelo
    Mike D'Angelo
  •
    May 10, 2023

    35mm at the Music Box as part of the Chicago Critics Film Festival. Almost 48-year-old me was there, as was 8-year-old me. We both left exhilarated. This is a first ballot entry into the 'They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To' Hall of Fame. My brain actually can't reconcile…

    227 Likes
    Adam Kempenaar
    Adam Kempenaar
    Nov 6, 2013

    Myths get made.

    205 Likes
    matt lynch
    matt lynch
    May 14, 2022

    Cowboys going into space. One of the few movies made in Hollywood after the mid-60s that can be right called Fordian. Mythmaking and its double mirror. American exceptionalism and its feats of clay. It is about how Cold War made it essential to print the legend about the US…

    164 Likes
    Filipe Furtado
    Filipe Furtado
  •
    Jun 19, 2023

    "[...] But on that glorious day in May 1963, Gordo Cooper went higher, farther, and faster than any other American - 22 complete orbits around the world; he was the last American ever to go into space alone. And for a brief moment, Gordo Cooper became the greatest pilot…

    146 Likes
    🦇 Leighton Trent 🦇
    🦇 Leighton Trent 🦇
    Oct 5, 2026

    The Right Stuff - Hipster Epic 101 It's cool, it's breezy, it's got a sense of humor, and it's larger than the bounds of gravity. I like how each of the guys gets their chance to shine: Quaid, Harris, Shepard, Ward, and Glenn. Plus, you get a solid supporting cast here…

    73 Likes
    madmonsterparty
    madmonsterparty
    Feb 4, 2018

    Myth making and myth critiquing. And hugely entertaining from start to finish. And the best cast movie of all time? Possibly. Likely. Double bill with Unforgiven: This is America.

    120 Likes
    Sam Van Hallgren
    Sam Van Hallgren

Queue Community Reviews

91%
Community 1,253
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👍 LIKE
61%
😐 MEH
7%
👎 DISLIKE
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Top Reviews
  • Platypus Lord
    Platypus Lord liked
    The Right Stuff

    In honor of the Artemis II moon flyby. Fascinating look at the triumphs & sacrifices in the early days of the US space program. Stacked cast, great screenplay & direction. Very entertaining despite not having traditional structure or momentum.  Still probably wouldn't rewatch it.

    6M
    Hunter
    Hunter liked
    The Right Stuff

    Had to watch it in school because it was part of our lesson plan. It wasn’t a bad movie. Long winded for those that were wanting the action type parts early on

    2Y
    Mickerdoo
    Mickerdoo liked
    The Right Stuff

    Great cast and an iconic story of bravery in new ventures. Characters definitely grew and adapted. Easily could have been shorter.

    1Y
  • Eye Cinc
    Eye Cinc loved
    The Right Stuff

    What a great story, I love it. I little bit long, but so enjoyable, and a good starting point for a Race to the Moon moviethon.

    2Y
    Dave
    Dave loved
    The Right Stuff

    If you are a fan of space history this is a must watch

    3Y
    Matthew Golad
    Matthew Golad loved
    The Right Stuff

    So great. Up there with the best NASA films.

    1Y
  • chloe wade
    chloe wade liked
    The Right Stuff

    Intense and inspiring.

    2Y
    The Evans Gang
    The Evans Gang liked
    The Right Stuff

    Very inspiring

    3Y
    Brett Kuprowski
    Brett Kuprowski loved
    The Right Stuff

    Great. Movie

    2Y

Atom Users Reviews

No one has posted a user review yet.

Metacritic

91
metacritic
Based on 16 Critics
8.0

USER SCORE (28)

Generally favorable reviews based on 28 Reviews
100

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.

Metacritic review by Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times

Frequently Asked Questions

Is The Right Stuff (1983) family-friendly?
The movie has been rated as PG (Parental Guidance Suggested). It's generally considered a family-friendly movie.
How long is The Right Stuff (1983)?
The movie is 3hr 13min long.
What's The Right Stuff (1983) about?
The U.S. space program's development from the breaking of the sound barrier to selection of the Mercury 7 astronauts, from a group of test pilots with a more seat-of-the-pants approach than the program's more cautious engineers preferred.
Who's the cast of The Right Stuff (1983)?
  • Sam Shepard as Capt/Col. Chuck Yeager, Test Pilot
  • Scott Glenn as Capt. Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr., Mercury Astronaut
  • Ed Harris as Maj. John Herschel Glenn Jr., Mercury Astronaut
  • Dennis Quaid as Gordon Cooper
  • Fred Ward as Gus Grissom
  • Barbara Hershey as Glennis Yeager
  • Kim Stanley as Pancho Barnes
  • Veronica Cartwright as Betty Grissom
  • Jane Dornacker as The Right Stuff
Who's the director behind The Right Stuff (1983)?
Philip Kaufman directed The Right Stuff (1983).
Who produced The Right Stuff (1983)?
James D. Brubaker, Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler produced The Right Stuff (1983).