Overview
A thrilling journey into the early days of space exploration, where courage and ambition collide.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- thrilling
- witty
- charming
- historical film night
- aviation movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard it as an acclaimed, richly characterized historical epic whose colorful storytelling, flight footage, performances, and satire make its long runtime consistently engaging.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film connects test-pilot daring and the Mercury program to the Cold War space race and changing American public culture.
The sound-barrier flights, test aircraft, rocket launches, and space travel receive unusually expansive and thrilling treatment.
Chuck Yeager, Alan Shepard, John Glenn, Gordon Cooper, Gus Grissom, and their families share the film's focus rather than one protagonist carrying the entire story.
The selection of astronauts, public-relations machinery, politics, and answering-machine culture are presented with affectionate satire alongside genuine achievement.
Films like The Right Stuff, and why
Apollo 13
fact-based historical epic combining charismatic ensemble characters, national ambition, adventure, and institutional satire
Hidden Figures
ambitious American historical drama portraying aerospace achievement through personal risk, technical spectacle, and political pressure
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines
stylized fact-based adventure drama about heroic aviators, masculine competition, and technological progress
Movie Details
- Director
- Philip Kaufman
- Release Date
- 1983-10-20
- Runtime
- 193 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (1011)
Cast
- Sam Shepard
- Scott Glenn
- Ed Harris
- Dennis Quaid
- Fred Ward
- Barbara Hershey
- Kim Stanley
- Veronica Cartwright
- Pamela Reed
- Scott Paulin
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Right Stuff about?
- A sweeping, funny, and exhilarating portrait of test pilots and astronauts confronting danger, bureaucracy, and Cold War expectations at the dawn of the American space program.
- What is The Right Stuff like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Right Stuff as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Right Stuff violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Right Stuff as mild.
- What did critics think of The Right Stuff?
- Critics broadly regard it as an acclaimed, richly characterized historical epic whose colorful storytelling, flight footage, performances, and satire make its long runtime consistently engaging.
- Which films are like The Right Stuff?
- Films with a similar feel include Apollo 13, Hidden Figures, and Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines.
- How long is The Right Stuff?
- The Right Stuff runs 193 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Right Stuff?
- In United States, The Right Stuff is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand.
