The Right Stuff

Ever wonder what happens when you take a bunch of cocky test pilots, stuff them into experimental aircraft, and tell them to push the limits of human possibility? Well, “The Right Stuff” has your answer, and spoiler alert: it involves a lot of sonic booms and even more swagger.

Based on Tom Wolfe’s bestselling book, this epic chronicles the birth of America’s space program, starting with the sound barrier-breaking exploits of test pilots at Edwards Air Force Base and culminating in the Mercury space program. At its heart is Chuck Yeager (Sam Shepard), the quintessential test pilot who treats breaking the sound barrier like it’s just another day at the office (which, for him, it kind of was).

Enter the Mercury Seven astronauts, led by John Glenn (Ed Harris, sporting a smile that could power a spacecraft) and Gordon Cooper (Dennis Quaid, whose cocky grin should have its own credit). These guys go from being hotshot pilots to America’s first astronauts, though the transition isn’t exactly smooth. Think of it as going from being cowboys of the sky to being spam in a can, as some of them put it.

The film brilliantly captures the absurdity of early spaceflight preparation. Want to be an astronaut? Great! Just let us stick every possible medical instrument into every possible orifice, spin you around until you’re ready to redecorate the centrifuge, and then parade you in front of the press like circus animals. All while your wives (including a stellar Pamela Reed as Trudy Cooper) maintain perfect hair and picture-perfect smiles for the cameras.

Director Philip Kaufman weaves together multiple storylines with the skill of a master storyteller. We bounce between Yeager’s continuing adventures pushing the envelope at Edwards, the Mercury astronauts’ training and missions, and the political circus surrounding the space race. The film manages to be both intimately personal and grandly historical, showing us both the men behind the headlines and the massive governmental machine that turned them into American icons.

What really sets “The Right Stuff” apart is its sense of humor about the whole enterprise. Yes, these men were heroes, but they were also gloriously human. The film captures their competitiveness, their fears, their family struggles, and their occasional bouts of what Tom Wolfe called “maintaining the zipper-down reputation.” It’s three hours and thirteen minutes of American history that never feels like a history lesson.

The Review Stuff:

What Works:

• The cast is phenomenal across the board, with Sam Shepard’s laconic Yeager and Ed Harris’s earnest Glenn being particular standouts
• The visual effects, despite being pre-CGI, are still impressive and give a visceral sense of what early test flights and space missions felt like
• The script balances humor, drama, and historical accuracy with remarkable skill
• Caleb Deschanel’s cinematography makes both the desert and space look equally magnificent
• Bill Conti’s score soars as high as the aircraft it accompanies

What Doesn’t:

• At over three hours, the film can feel a bit long-winded in places
• Some of the supporting characters get lost in the shuffle
• The political context of the space race with the Soviets feels somewhat underdeveloped
• A few of the effects sequences haven’t aged as well as others

The Verdict:
“The Right Stuff” is that rare historical epic that manages to be both informative and entertaining, reverential and irreverent. It’s a testament to both human achievement and human folly, showing us heroes who were all too human and humans who became heroes. While it might be a bit too long for some viewers, it’s a journey worth taking, especially for anyone interested in aviation, space exploration, or just damn good filmmaking.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 sonic booms

P.S. Keep an eye out for the running gag about the mysterious test pilot deaths being explained away as “crashes into the side of a mountain.” It’s both darkly funny and historically accurate – the government’s go-to explanation for classified mishaps during the Cold War era.