The Right Stuff (1983) 7.9
The original US Mercury 7 astronauts and their macho, seat-of-the-pants approach to the space program. Director:Philip Kaufman |
|
| Watch Trailer 0Share... |
The Right Stuff (1983) 7.9
The original US Mercury 7 astronauts and their macho, seat-of-the-pants approach to the space program. Director:Philip Kaufman |
|
| Watch Trailer 0Share... |
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Sam Shepard | ... | ||
| Scott Glenn | ... | ||
| Ed Harris | ... | ||
| Dennis Quaid | ... | ||
| Fred Ward | ... | ||
| Barbara Hershey | ... | ||
| Kim Stanley | ... | ||
| Veronica Cartwright | ... | ||
| Pamela Reed | ... | ||
| Scott Paulin | ... | ||
|
|
Charles Frank | ... | |
| Lance Henriksen | ... | ||
| Donald Moffat | ... | ||
| Levon Helm | ... |
Jack Ridley /
Narrator
|
|
| Mary Jo Deschanel | ... | ||
Tom Wolfe's book on the history of the U.S. Space program reads like a novel, and the film has that same fictional quality. It covers the breaking of the sound barrier by Chuck Yeager to the Mercury 7 astronauts, showing that no one had a clue how to run a space program or how to select people to be in it. Thrilling, funny, charming and electrifying all at once. Written by John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>
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.