The Right Stuff (1983)

This movie was awesome when it came out. I saw it and thought "wow what an awesome movie! I want to be an astronaut". However when I started to learn about the US Space Program and NASA I started to realize that the director and writers for this movie overstepped their rights for artistic license.So much of this movie is made up and bullshit that it is more fiction than it is truth. In fact, my research has led me to believe that 7/10 scenes in this movie are completely fabricated. Even character names, quotes and actions were changed for a variety of reasons, most common to make the movie fit a narrative of the director and writers.Listing all the problems with the movie would take too much time and effort for me. However I'll say that if you forget about all the real life facts and suspend your reality for a few hours, it isn't a bad movie.I did like this movie when it was released but over time it has lost the glimmer and shine. There are much better, more realistic, more historical movies out about the space race and NASA program.

The Right Stuff. The name alone will make anyone want to go see this. It uses enough generic pronouns and adjectives to sucker the viewer into watching this. I bet that many people had no idea it was about aviation and space travel. Is it bad to have an unclear title? Of course not. As long as it sounds good and fits in with the story. The Right Stuff fits so well with the story because that is what it is about and what it has.The Right Stuff is generally said to be the second best film of the 1980s only behind Raging Bull. I disagree, only because there were other movies that I thought were better. But I do think that The Right Stuff is one of the true great American films that achieves the status of excellence.The Right Stuff follows a group of pilots over a course of several years and their journeys as astronauts. Right off the bat, the filming of the flying is done to a high calibre. We get a first- person look during some of the missions that's intense and beautiful. This stuff happens in many different parts of the movie that can make any movie ignoramus like those particular scenes. Yes the flying sequences are first-rate, it is the character development that really makes this stand above other movies of its kind. We get to know and like some of the pilots. The first one we get to know is Chuck Yeager (Shepard) who lives a peaceful life and perseveres to break the sound barrier. He lacks a college degree, so he is not chosen to be an astronaut like some other pilots he knows. Seven pilots are chosen to compete with Russia's space program and they and their families are written very well. Alan Shepard and Gordon Cooper (Glenn, Quaid) are my favourite characters though. All their wives don't want them to go out on suicide-missions and become widows, but the men love what they do. The media attracts them, making them international superstars who believe they have " the right stuff". The men eat it up and think they are super-humans. As the movie goes on, their egos get to them and there are malfunctions with the rockets. These serve as symbols reflecting their personalities. Eventually, they get better and everything becomes a success. Hallelujah! The Right Stuff is an avant-garde, patriotic film. So cheesy how everything is overcome and they defend the honour of one's country. But I can't really say that's a bad thing. The only real flaw I can give this would be that at 193 minutes, it is dragged out, ever-so slightly.

Way too long at over 3 hours. (But not unusual in 1983.)Sexist - wives are just stammering fools, sitting and fretting at home while their husbands go do heroic stuff. (But not unusual in 1983.)'Real heroes' with "The Right Stuff" sit in a plane or spaceship, flip some switches, and watch the nice scenery go by. Get glory and accolades if they live. And get immortalized if they die. 'Real heroes' also get their own Hollywood movie. (Not an unusual notion even today and certainly not in 1983.)Too much American patriotism bullshit. (But again, not unusual in 1983.)Altogether a worthy performance for 1983, but mostly puke-worthy today.

I am a movie fanatic and this movie is one of my all time favorites. I loved how this movie had several themes going on: The best pilot did not have a college degree so he could not be considered for the project. (Yeager) All the tests they gave without having any idea which were really needed since no one had been in space before. There were some very funny scenes and suspense and emotions. One of my favorite scenes was when they all had a big bar-b-que celebration and with all the activities going on, each one of the team looks at each other and communicate without saying a word. I have seen this move at least 20 times and could watch it again tonight and enjoy it once more.