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'The Right Stuff' is one of the most glorious adventure films ever made, a story of incredible heroism, poignant romance, gripping drama, and broad humor...and amazingly, it has actually happened within our lifetimes!

This is a tale of test pilots, 'pushing the envelope', proving the sound barrier couldn't constrain mankind's reach for space. Leading the way is plain-speaking Chuck Yeager (portrayed by Sam Shepard with Gary Cooper-like charm), a Beeman's gum-chewing cowboy with a passion for his feisty wife (the beautiful Barbara Hershey), and hot planes. Not even a broken rib could hold him back when an opportunity to fly the X-1 was offered. His record-breaking flight could fill a movie by itself...and this is just the BEGINNING of the story!

Jumping ahead a few years, Yeager is joined by a new breed of test pilots, whose total love of flight challenges their relationships, and is the true measure of how they define themselves. Among them are 'Gordo' Cooper (Dennis Quaid), a hot dog jet jockey with an unhappy wife (Pamela Reed, giving an exceptional performance); and Gus Grissom (Fred Ward, in his breakthrough role), coarse and direct, and anxious for his shot at the fastest jets.

The entire world changes when the Russians launch Sputnik, in 1957. As the American space program struggles to 'catch up', the government realizes that American men will have to go into space, and President Eisenhower wants 'educated' test pilots to fill this role. Yeager is out (he never completed college), but Cooper and Grissom, and many others, compete for spots in the New Frontier.

These pilots, from all services, are weeded down to seven men, dubbed 'Astronauts', and the Mercury Space Program is born! Along with Cooper and Grissom, the story focuses on Navy pilot Alan Shepard (Scott Glenn), laconic and prone to ethnic humor; and Marine John Glenn (perfectly cast Ed Harris), a 'boy scout' of unimpeachable morals, who loyally supports an impaired wife (sensitively portrayed by Mary Jo Deschanel). Working under the glare of the world press, the seven gradually come to respect one another, and embark on an epic adventure, full of triumph and tragedy!

Meanwhile, Chuck Yeager, snubbed by NASA, continues to test new generations of jets, pushing the 'envelope', until, in a climactic scene, he achieves the threshold of space, himself. The flight is a near disaster, resulting in a horrendous crash, but the image of the burned but undefeated pilot, walking proudly away from the wreckage, is an unforgettable image of courage, and truly defines 'The Right Stuff'!

This is a REMARKABLE film in every way, and is director Philip Kaufman's masterpiece. Lushly scored by Tom Conti (who won an Oscar for the Tchaikovsky-inspired music), the film soars, both on earth and in space!

If you believe the Age of Heroes is past, watch 'The Right Stuff', and you might change your mind! This is a film to treasure!

It was wonderful to see again this 1983 gem. Just as I remembered plus those unexpected surprises that time puts in evidence. Kim Stanley for instance. A few minutes on the screen, a peripheral character but I took her with me and here I am, thinking about her. The "starry" role jet pilots played and that new breed: "tha astronauts" getting the all American treatment, becoming overnight celebrities. Ed Harris is extraordinary as John Glenn. He becomes a sort of leader with some TV experience and we never ask why. Ed Harris's performance explains it all without ever actually saying it. Dennis Quaid is irresistible as "Gordo" Cooper. You believe every one of his thoughts, specially the ones he never reveals. In spite of the film's length, I wished the film would not end. I haven't had that wish very often. "The Right Stuff" is the real thing.

I have to correct "mrbsico" for not paying attention to the very things he comments on. It's not that he turned down the opportunity to apply to be an astronaut, it's that Chuck Yeager wasn't allowed to apply. When seraching for astronauts Harry Shearer's character praises Yeager as the ace of aces, but goes on to say that he "doesn't fit the profile" of the type of man Washington is looking for because he never went to college. This was a true pre-requisite which the Mercury Program had. Also, the scene at the end where Yeager crashes his NF-104 doesn't bring him down, it glorifies him. Gordo Cooper even comments that he gets on the cover of magazines, gets a free car, free lunches all across America, a free home with all the furnishings and loads of money and "I ain't even been up there yet". He's famous because he's an astronaut alone - not because of anything he's done. Kaufman cuts back and forth between the scene where Cooper is with Yeager's flight in the desert for reason. Yeager's almost alone with no media around, out in the desert attempting a record which won't put him on Life Magazine's cover. He's trying to set a record because that's what he's made of. He has The Right Stuff; which is something Cooper reazlies as we cut back to the reception and Gordo is asked by the reporters who the best pilot he ever saw was. Yeager may have crashed his plane in his last flight of the movie, but he emerges as a fearless man ever up for the challenge. And that he's not doing any of it for fame or fortune (although in real life the real Yeager cashed in with TV ads and a best-selling autobiography after both the book and the movie were released!!). That's what's rare about this movie for Hollywood to have made. Films are almost never about measuring a man's inner desires, but rather his being able to win the fight at the end. Yeager in contrast doesn't win the flight record at the film's end, but he is still the hero. This is because he dares to do what we never would. And even after his plane crashes he walks out of the gulf of fire and smoke with a severely burned face as if he will be back; you can't keep him down. This is why as the rescuer driving the ambulance as he sees Yeager's figure walking out of the fire in the distance asks, "Is that a man?", Jack Ridley replies, "You're damn right it is!". Ridley isn't merely remarking that it's a man over there, he is commenting that in our world Yeager is one of the few true "men". This film is not about the space program. That is merely a pretext to explore the type of men who have what it takes to volunteer for dangerous missions - even in times of peace. It's about men who have The Right Stuff - and of all those men whom we see in the movie it is Yeager who shines about all others.

This picture was selected as Best Picture of its year by 2 of the best movie reviewers in recent memory, Siskel & Ebert. They both chose this film because "it showed how things get done in America."

This is one of my favorite films. If you remember the space race (and not fantasize you do like some other reviewers on this page) and the Mercury astronauts were your heroes too, then watching this movie is like going home again.

As for the younger crowd? Watching this true story will be a lot of fun, and there are a lot of laughs. But more importantly, it will give you a look into a time when your country actually tried to do important things: not b/c they were easy, as President Kennedy said, but b/c they were hard. A concept so sadly lacking these days.

Watch everyone, and enjoy. It's quite a ride, and it all really happened.

The Right Stuff is terrific: exciting, complex, funny, crammed with memorable scenes, unforgettable lines, and wonderful actors (many of whom went on to become big stars).

A classic shot shows a test pilot on horseback coming over a ridge stopping to look at a new rocket-plane, steadying his nervous horse as it edges past the flames coming out the back. The test pilot is the twentieth century's cowboy: tough, laconic, independent, fearless.

The Right Stuff tells two parallel stories: the (often fatal) exploits of the early test pilots and Mercury astronauts, with intersecting storylines. The movie never takes itself too seriously. Witness general crawling on the floor to plug in the projector, the sounds of the locusts when the press surrounds the astronauts (Yeager called them locusts initially), the Halleluiah Chorus during the press conference, the enema scene, Sheppard needing to take a leak in the suit, Johnson trying to deal with a housewife. Yet underneath all the fun that is poked at the astronauts we see respect for real men doing a scary, important job.

This film has all the excitement of Top Gun, but is longer, better, just as high-tech exciting, and much funnier. (A washroom scene rivals Meg Ryan's famous restaurant scene...the audience laughed so hard we all missed Cooper's next line!).

And some wonderful lines: Cooper's response to "Who's the best pilot you ever saw?", "O.K. You can be Gus", "The Military owes me", "Read'em and weep", "Hey Ridley, you got any Beemans?", "I go to church too.", "Everything is A-OK", "Our Germans are better than their Germans", "What are you two pudknockers going to have?", and, said with regret and frustration "test pilots!"

To those who have seen it, here's a challenge that will enable you to appreciate the excellent writing, the workmanship and planning that went into the script. View the movie again and see how many times the screenwriter and director took the trouble to set up a later event or comment with an earlier reference. Here are three examples: Cooper dropping a tiny toy space capsule into Grissum's drink (foreshadowing), Copper reading Life magazine before the publisher enters the movie (to make sure we viewers know that Life magazine exits), Yeager bumping his elbow on a limb of a cactus tree as he walks into Pancho's at the beginning of the movie (I never noticed this the first few times I watched the movie, but surely this tiny action was deliberate.) I count a dozen more examples. Send me ones you find.

If you haven't seen The Right Stuff, I strongly recommend you rent the DVD. -RS

An interesting insight into the United States' space program, beginning with the exploits of fighter pilot Chuck Yeager (Sam Shephard) and concluding with the dramatic flights of the first astronauts.

Those astronauts - the Mercury 7 pilots - are a varied group of aviators and they are all pretty interesting guys. John Glenn (Ed Harris) gets favorable treatment in here among the group. Gordon Cooper might be the wildest with the cocky and humorous Dennis Quaid playing him. Overall, it's a good cast including not just the fliers but their wives. I also enjoyed Scott Glenn as Alan Shepard and Barbara Hershey as Yeager's wife.

Yeager's feats were perhaps the most interesting and they set a fast tone to this 3-hour film as we witness him breaking several sound-barrier records prior to the formation of the astronaut team. Then we are treated to a long-but-interesting segment of how those first astronauts were trained.

The only unnecessary and ludicrous parts of this film were the ones on Lyndon Johnson, where they made him into a total fool. It was as if the screen writers had a personal vendetta against him, to make him look almost like a cartoon figure. And the bit with the Australian Aborigines smacks too much of Hollywood's love affair with tribal religions. I sincerely doubt some sparks from a fire on earth could be seen miles and miles above in space.

At any rate, this was an informative look at a period in our history than came-and-went way too fast. Sad to say, most people know very little about those first astronauts, who were true heroes. At least this film gives them their due, as well as to Yeager, who deserved this tribute, too

The Right Stuff takes place during the Cold War when America was trying its hardest in technological advancements to beat the Russians. The movie first starts out with Chuck Yeager(Sam Shepard) attempting to break the sound barrier. The movie continues with other story lines as professional pilots desperately try to get into the NASA space program, become the first Americans into space, and try to break some kind of record that will beat what the Russians had. The other real life people that this movie follows are Alan Shepard(Scott Glenn), Gordon Cooper(Dennis Quaid), John Glenn(Ed Harris), Gus Grissom(Fred Ward), and of course, their families.

The running time is very long at 3 hours plus, but it goes by very quickly. The first couple of hours go by as if they were 25 minutes, and the last hour is thrilling, as well as inspiring. There are several plot elements that really make this movie phenomenal. There is plenty of excitement as you see what the skilled pilots try to accomplish, there is plenty of humor, the cast is nearly perfect, and the score adds plenty of effect to the film. The result is a phenomenal, nearly perfect film, being one of the best films of the 1980's.

The plot is very interesting, as you see the lives of the pilots, the status of the American Government desperately trying to overcome the Russians with advanced technology, and the difficulties in trying to accomplish these difficulties. This is well worth your time, and it is a great movie.

This is one of my favorite movies. It starts with test pilot Chuck Yeager(Sam Shepard)and some of his accomplishments; and then right on through the trials and tribulations of picking the original seven Mercury astronauts and the final Mercury mission.

Great NASA footage integrated into this meaty Philip Kaufman epic. A better than average ensemble cast. The best performances coming from Ed Harris as John Glenn; Scott Glenn as Alan Shepard; Dennis Quaid as 'Gordo' Cooper and Fred Ward as 'Gus' Grissom. Barbara Hershey was eye catching as Glennis Yeager and Donald Moffat was down right funny as the egotistical Vice President Lyndon Johnson.

How truthful the characters are portrayed may be of question. But the sometimes odd personalities brings humor to what could be a very long and boring systematic movie. THE RIGHT STUFF is interesting, patriotic and empowering. Classified: Do Not Miss!

`The Right Stuff' is the story of the original Mercury 7 astronauts and their journey through the fledgling NASA program and eventually into space. It is well-written and well-acted, featuring a veritable `Who's Who' of then slightly unknown actors such as Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, Sam Shepard, Scott Glenn and Lance Henriksen. While it had an over three hour running time, and I actually had to get up to turn over the DVD because of its length, the pacing was such that I never once considered that any particular scene should have been shortened. One thing I particularly enjoyed about the film was the introduction of Chuck Yeager (Shepard) and his contribution to history by breaking the sound barrier, and then the periodic simultaneous comparison of the accomplishments of the astronauts and the Air Force and civilian test pilots, as well as exhibiting their eventual mutual respect.

If I had to point out any kind of glaring fault, it would have to be that they focused on some astronauts more than others – obviously concentrating heavily on the bigger names, and glossing over the `lesser-known' ones. An example would be Walter Schirra (Henriksen) – his name is mentioned a couple of times, and he probably had a tenth of the screen time of the others. Plainly, with an already three hour running time not everyone could have equal time, so this is certainly a mild criticism. `The Right Stuff' isn't profound or exceptional, but it is certainly a good and interesting film.

--Shelly

The right stuff is my favorite movie of all time. Splendidly acted by a great cast Dennis Quaid , Sam Shepard et al, this movie brilliantly tells the story of the USA astronaut program. Director Phil Kaufman deserves much praise! Riveting movie and what a finale! Tremendous.

The film is set during the Russians launching an satellite into orbit. I remember being in the Cub Scouts and we all waited outside the Congregational church the meetings were held to see if we could see "Sputnik". President Eisenhower mandated the test pilots be used for the first American in Space. This movie follows the course of Alan Shepsrd as the first American in space and John Glenn the first to go into Orbit.

The final scenes are tremendous and if one doesn't get goosebumps watching Dennis Quaid immortal performance of Gordon Cooper you arr not alive.

This was a Ladd Company film trying to follow the path of the Mirisch Corporation but failed in its attempt to be a boutique film studio.

I am not a huge fan of space movies but from time to time I enjoy them when I have the occasion (such as ARMAGEDDON, APOLLO 13 and MOONFALL). However, THE RIGHT STUFF has some sort of cult status and I knew I had to see it. And it was even better than I expected.

In 1947, in the Army Air base Edwards in California there are some secret tests about planes able to fly at supersonic speed, but after various test pilots die in the attempt of breaking the sound barrier, Chuck Yeager (Sam Shephard) offers to pilot a BELL X-1, the first X plane to be tested by the air Force. Yeager succedds, and becomes the first pilot to break the sound barrier and soon more pilots arrive because they want to improve their flight capacities. Years later (in 1961) Yurij Gagarin becomes the first man that orbitates in space and soon John Kennedy creates a challenge not only political but also technological. Seven men are chosen and their lives are pressed by harsh experiments and the news that claims them as national heroes and the new frontier of America. They are Alan Shepard (Scott Glenn), Gus Grissom (the late Fred Ward), John Glenn (Ed Harris), Scott Carpenter (Charles Frank), Wally Schirra (Lance Henriksen), Gordon Cooper (Dennis Quaid) and Donald Slayton (Scott Paulin). The spirit of collaboration will help them keep their position as pilots and men and not only that of laboratory animals. Nearly all their missions succedd and they'll prove to have the right stuff.

With a running time of 3 hours and 12 minutes it looks staggering, but this overall wasn't a problem. With many entertaining performances (not only the 7 astronauts but also Jeff Goldblum and Harry Shearer as two NASA recruiters), great soundtrack and a focused direction, what could have gone wrong? One of those movies that truly deserves its praise and reputation and one of those movies where the length is not a problem.

Philip Kaufman approaches this project like a visionary, bringing numerous angles, aspects and tones to his film. As a result, The Right Stuff is a richly layered movie about the classic space race between USA and the Soviet Union in the middle of the 20th century. Kaufman grounds his subject in the history of aviation, centred around the records of legendary pilot Chuck Yeager - and the people following in his footsteps. For an introduction, this section is extremely detailed, and by the time NASA enters the picture with their space programme, Kaufman's quirky humour becomes more pronounced. The mixture of comedy and apparent serious human drama makes The Right Stuff - which clocks in at 3 hours - an offbeat film. It constantly draws interest, but also becomes somewhat detached at times. One can't help but feel that the film could have benefited from more economical editing, which would have reduced the focus on certain subplots. With that said, The Right Stuff becomes increasingly tighter and more magnetic towards the end, when Kaufman applies some delicate touches. The ensemble cast is largely fine, with Dennis Quaid's devilishly boyish smile a main attraction.

When this came out, I loved it. Even though I knew some of the special effects were cheesy and inaccurate. However, I thought it brought to attention something that I love - - the history of the US based program.

Over the years, however, I have come to understand that this film does a great disservice to an American hero. The book and the film both portray Gus Grissom as a panicky, incompetent astronaut. He was the exact opposite. NASA knew this, and that is why he was assigned the second American space flight, the first flight of the two man Gemini spacecraft, and was training to command the first Apollo mission when he was tragically killed in the fire along with Ed White and Roger Chaffee.

It's very unfortunate that the author and filmmakers opted to inject drama that just wasn't there, and that damages the reputation of a great American.

Outstanding film from 1983 that was honored with four Academy Awards and is often called the second-best film of the 1980s behind only Scorsese's "Raging Bull". The movie is a 190-plus minute extravaganza which honors the U.S. Mercury 7 Astronauts. The all-star cast includes Sam Shepard (as Chuck Yeager in an Oscar-nominated role of a lifetime), Ed Harris (John Glenn), Scott Glenn (Alan Shepard), Fred Ward (Gus Grissom), Lance Henriksen (Walter Schirra), Dennis Quaid (Gordon Cooper), and Donald Moffat (Lyndon Baines Johnson). The film is solid in so many respects. It is meticulous and tries to go for drama and humor and succeeds in everything it wants to do. Veronica Cartwright, Barbara Hershey, Pamela Reed, Kathy Baker, and Mary Jo Deschanel are also along for the ride as several of the wives who attempt to keep their heads about them while they fear that their husbands are losing theirs. "The Right Stuff" is a historical lesson told in a way that is so clever and convincing that few will find fault with anything when it comes to the story-telling. Writer-director Philip Kaufman easily does the best work of his career with this masterpiece. Look for Cincinnati Bengal Hall-of-Famer Anthony Munoz in a cameo appearance. Arguably the best film of the 1980s and should have been the Best Picture Oscar winner over "Terms of Endearment" in 1983. 5 stars out of 5.

The Right Stuff is a bold and ambitious movie, based upon Tom Wolfe's novel of the same name. It's storyline depicts a very important part of history, namely, the cold war between the U.S. and Russia. We were competing with Russia for decades over which country could hold the title of biggest superpower. The Americans versus the Commies. The threat of nuclear war between the two countries was always tangible.

The Right Stuff is a most entertaining and informative history lesson. A chronicle of the Mercury 7 program which propelled the first Americans into space. Pilot Chuck Yeager (Sam Shepard) basically started it all as the man who first risked his life towards this journey by breaking the sound barrier with his "Glamorous Glennis" X-1. Russia upped the ante with Sputnik soon after.

The early Yeager flight sequence where he surpasses the speed of sound is nothing short of breathtaking. Caleb Deshanel's cinematography and sfx accompanying this and other airborne dramatizations depicted here are unparalleled to anything I've seen in a movie before or since. They will have you on the edge of your seat.

The first act of The Right Stuff is mostly Yeager's story. But in addition to learning about this American legend, this portion of the film allows the viewer to get into the psyche of the test pilot. Each time you go on up in a hurtling piece of machinery to try topping the record you set previously could be your last. Risky and Dangerous, but for these guys it's a way of life, and they wouldn't have it any other way.

Yeager's groundbreaking flights set the blueprint for America's journey into space. From here we see test pilots from all over competing with each other to become the first in history to go where no man has gone before. These scenes are insightful, funny, and allow the viewer to be introduced to the personalities behind the men who would make up the Mercury 7 program.

From here, the viewer gets exposed to the behind-the-scenes politics during this pivotal point in history, showing the relationships these men have with their concerned wives as well as satirizing the prying, sometimes inconsiderate news media once the astronauts are introduced to the press. The human element and satire depicted in these scenes are still truthful and relevant by today's standards.

These pilots are competitive and naturally find differences with one another. But they eventually learn to look past their egos, realizing they're all in this together. They eventually come to terms with the fact they are now America's spokespersons, and learn to respect and admire one another along their journey.

The cast is outstanding. Scott Glenn, Dennis Quaid, Ed Harris, and Fred Ward all give top-notch performances as Alan Shepherd, Gordo Cooper, John Glenn, and Gus Grissom. Acclaimed musician turned actor Levon Helm delivers one of the best lines in Movie History. Tom Conti's winning and inspirational score ties this historical epic together, which deservedly won an Academy Award for best original score.

The running time is slightly over 3 hours, but is never boring and seems most appropriate in retrospect to tell this epic story.

The fact that Terms of Endearment won best picture over The Right Stuff at the 1983 Oscars is a travesty. The Right Stuff is a timeless classic which will always retain it's power and glory, and serves as a historical time capsule to teach future generations of moviegoers what heroism and bravery are all about.

Many are quick to announce a particular film as important but are reluctant to consider why they stand by such a film. For me, even though there are other films that people would adamantly admit are much better I can not think of a better one in the past 25 years than THE RIGHT STUFF. Now, let me give you three reasons why (much of what I will say has already been said by Roger Ebert but I cannot word it any better).

1.) Very few movies do a better job referring to the topic of heroism and courage (two important American topics). In the beginning of the movie we see a cowboy riding through the desert as he stumbles across the X-1 plane(the first plane to break the sound barrier). By the end of the movie the seven Mercury astronauts are cheered for what they have done. Those two images say everything about the movie because they show that what we perceive as heroism has changed. The original American heroes (cowboys) were loners. The heroes of today are team players who act as public-relations people where the one or two spokesmen are the ones credited for their efforts. The fact that this movie does a great job demonstrating that our ideals have changed (no necessarily for the better or worse) is testament to how such a great American film this is.

2.) The movie manages to do a lot without going off track. It manages to be a comedy, an action-adventure film, a social and political commentary, a docu-drama, and a satire. The fact that this movie is able to do so much while, at the same time, pull it off is an incredible feat.

3.) The movie also showcases a lot of talent; Sam Shepard, Ed Harris, Fred Ward, Dennis Quaid, Barbara Hershey, Pamela Reed, J.P. Ryan, Kim Stanley, Veronica Cartwright all give some of their best performances to date. Even some of the best films of all time have two or three standout performances. THE RIGHT STUFF has several times that number.

I think that by my three reasons I have justified why THE RIGHT STUFF is the best American film of the past 25 years.

Awesome. One of those movies that I can see time and again, yet each time I enjoy it as much as the first time I saw it. Fantastic cast, great music, brilliant script. Just the right combination of drama and humour - the sequence during which Al Shepard (played wonderfully by Scott Glenn) wants to relieve himself sitting atop Freedom 7, whilst the film cuts to images of the fire hose, the pouring coffee, the water cooler etc. is one of my all time favourites.

My only real criticism of the movie is the treatment of Grissom and the explosive hatch incident - the movie leaves it looking like it was Grissom's fault - but it has by now been well documented that it was indeed a malfunction.

I really loved The Right Stuff. The story line seemed true to form and I felt like I was getting a glimpse into the 'real' world of life for astronauts and test pilots back in the 50s and 60s. When watching Apollo 13, which also stars Ed Harris, there was a real continuity in the movie that made the two movies complement each other nicely.

The Right Stuff also was a great vehicle for actors like Ed Harris, Fred Ward, Scott Glen,Sam Shepard and Dennis Quaid who have all gone on to do amazing work. The casting for this movie was superb. The main actors and supporting cast told a very interesting story with truth and poignancy that made it believable all the way through. I would and still do highly recommend this movie to anyone.

The really interesting thing about The Right Stuff is the sequence where Chuck Yeager takes his Starfighter (very telling) to the edge of the space.

Compare this sequence to 2001's Dave Bowman taking his spacecraft to the edge of . . . whatever. The filming styles in the two sequences, the tumbling, spinning sensation and freakish views, are remarkably similar and I think the TRS production is making that exact point.

Yeager, unlike Bowman, never makes it into space--witness space and stars just within his grasp, then slipping away--but in the end, he's portrayed as an indomitable and winning man. The Starfighter sequence in The Right Stuff mimics 2001's Stargate to describe what REAL flight is all about: human struggle.

At last I've found a movie that'd been on my to-watch list for years that turned out to be pretty good when I actually watched it.

At first I balked at the length, being that it's over three hours long. But I knew early on I was in for the long haul. The movie is consistently entertaining and engaging. Also it has a number of fantastic actors in it, like Ed Harris, Sam Shepherd, Barbara Hershey, Fred Ward, Dennis Quaid, and small roles from Jeff Goldblum and Harry Shearer among others.

The aeronautic footage also still looks impressive. I thought it might be showing its age now, but I found it more interesting than that in the recent Top Gun movie, which I thought was very overrated.

The movie also gives powerful roles to its women characters, without it ever feeling preachy. We see what the test pilots go through and the risks they take, and we also see what this does to their wives.

It sucks that this movie tanked at the box office. It totally deserved to do well.

Take a series of events that by themselves stir the imagination and the soul, romanticize and embellish them in a novel by a pop-culture author, then take that novel and give it the Hollywood treatment, and you end up with something that's long on legend, short on truth, but who cares? It features historic people and airplanes, excellent cinematography, a gang of stellar actors and even acceptable model and special effects work.

Unlike Tom Wolf's novel, the movie ignores the Navy's Pax River and gives all the glory to Edwards AFB and the Zoomies. The CAF's "FIFI," the last flying B-29, has a major role as the X-1's "mothership," as well as a privately-owned F-104 Starfighter out of Mojave as the plane that almost killed Chuck Yeager. The real General Yeager has a bit role as a crusty old prospector doing bartender duty at the watering hole the Edwards pilots hang out in. The scene where Harry Shearer and Jeff Goldblum, playing two NASA flunkies, are bad-mouthing Yeager because he has no college degree, all while the real Yeager, playing the bartender, is standing in back of them listening in, is precious.

While the plot and action centers on Yeager and the original seven Mercury astronauts, two actresses are worth watching: Veronica Cartwright does her usual great job as Betty Grissom ("I want to have lunch with Jackie!!") and the ever-versatile and talented Pamela Reed as Gordon Cooper's long-suffering wife, Trudy, who has some of the best lines in the movie (referring to the macho Edwards test pilots, "But they sure are handy assholes.").

A bit of tragic trivia: Jane Dornacker, the talented actress, comedienne and musician who "uglied up" to play Nurse Murch in the hilarious "sperm count scene", later a traffic reporter in New York City for WNBC radio, was killed when her helicopter lost its tail rotor, narrowly missed a pier and crashed into the Hudson River. At the time of the crash she was live on the air, and her screams "Hit the water! Hit the water" were heard by literally thousands of stunned New York commuters.

On October 4, 1957, the residents of the United States received a nasty surprise. The Soviet Union had just launched Sputnik 1, the world's first artificial satellite. That meant that the communists now had the ability to send a nuclear warhead against targets anywhere in North America. A continent that throughout history had been protected behind two world oceans suddenly felt vulnerable. Not surprisingly, "The New York Times" wrote that the country had abruptly been turned into a nation in shock. Something drastic had to be done.

Fast forward to 1979. That year, Tom Wolfe published a novel about the American efforts to catch up with the Russians in space. His book, "The Right Stuff", quickly became a best-seller, and it didn't take long before Hollywood acquired the film rights. So, in 1983, director Philip Kaufman began shooting the first scenes at Edwards Air Force Base where the actual Mercury astronauts had undergone their training. The film was intended as a pseudo-documentary depiction of what in the '60s became known as the Space Race.

Sam Shepard played legendary test pilot Chuck Yeager, the guy who was the first human being to fly faster than the speed of sound. For the roles of the Mercury astronauts, director Kaufman then assembled a group of young actors, many at the beginning of their careers. But guys like Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, Fred Ward, Scott Glenn and Lance Henriksen would all go on to even greater things in the future.

Sadly, however, "The Right Stuff" became something of a box office failure. It grossed only $21 million domestically against its hefty $27 million budget. Nevertheless, the film was met with widespread critical acclaim. It was also nominated for a total of eight Oscars at the Academy Awards (it won four). And the film was finally a well-deserved success during the so-called "Video Rental Boom" of the early '80s. By now, "The Right Stuff" is considered a modern classic.

I really liked this movie sixteen years ago. I was an ideal audience, partly because I built models of fighters and carriers, flew model rockets, and was eager to see lots of military hardware. But the real reason is that I was 14 years old.

This movie comprehends life at about the level of a 14-year-old. Watching it again as an adult was painful. After every visual cliche, after every scene of buffoonery (almost innumerable) I told myself it would get better, that the scenes of space flight were coming. But there was nothing but more weak dialog, trite phrases and ... even the shot framing was corny.

And that dreadful score. Bill Conti really reached a new level of inappropriateness (beyond his previous best misunderstanding of theme, style and sentiment with "For Your Eyes Only"). Here we have a movie about individualists, talented, flashy egotists. Maybe an appropriate musical representation would be an exciting solo instrument against orchestra, in other words a concerto. For no conceivable reason, however, Conti takes the theme of a very famous concerto ... and plays it with full orchestra only, minus the fireworks of the violin part. So there is no symbolism of the one against the many, just a vaguely joyous melody. And then just to make sure we know it's really Bill Conti's score, and not Pete Tchaikovsky, he changes two notes.

Conti has done some straightforwardly uplifting music (especially towards the beginning of his career), but this is simply cheap "proud and happy" music. And why "Mars, Bringer of War" by Holst in yet another film? "Finlandia" is just as universally known to musicians, and would have made more sense as "music of overcoming" (gravity, technical troubles).

The obnoxious "Foreign Man" character in the meetings was supposed to be Werner von Braun, ex-Nazi rocket-team leader. The man was a genius, and he was cunning, imaginative and by most accounts impressive. If, for lack of time, he could not be shown rounded, he could at least have been characterized as formidable, secretive, dangerous. That's just as simple.

LBJ was loquacious and persuasive, not a yeller or a whiner and not such a carnival barker in public. I dislike the man and his decisions, but why make him into a plain old jackass when he was an effective and charismatic user of people?

Surely Harris and Shepard knew this was a bad script. They make the absolute best out of the meager diet they were fed. And under such obvious direction: "Smile when the light goes across", "Look up after a second", "React with surprise" and so on, making the actors seem like puppets sometimes.

I suppose Jeff Goldblum had to take what he could get in those days, but it's still disappointing to have to sit through his gags (literally).

The wives seem to be thrown in to get females into the theater. The point their characters make didn't even need them on the screen to be made. The men could have confessed, maybe in a bar scene, to the marital woe and guilt that plagued them as a result of their chosen career. And shaved off a good half-an-hour in the process. The wives contributed almost nothing else to the story. Drag without lift.

It won for Best Editing. Could have been Most Editing. When objects fly in the movie, they are seen this way: here it comes (from the left), there it goes (to the left), here it comes (from below), there it goes (off the bottom), now it wobbles (to show how fast it's going), the dials on the instrument panel turn, then out the front window, now where did it go?, now it's coming right at you, and last just the vapor trail seen from the ground. This sequence occurs almost edit-for-edit whenever something goes more than 55mph, and it's dull.

Before I saw it again on DVD, I would have given it an 8 from my fond memories. I have to give it a 4, alongside such cinematic triumphs as "Dirty Dancing" and "Creepshow 2".

By the way, the NASA logo shown throughout was not used until the mid-60's. Am I wrong to be so bothered by that? When the movie is about NASA, I don't think so.

And as for the record: Never before have I sweated with embarrassment all the way through a movie.