---
title: "The Right Stuff"
year: 1983
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-right-stuff"
fi1m_id: "the-right-stuff"
imdb_id: "tt0086197"
tmdb_id: 9549
wikidata_id: "Q1197185"
fi1m_score: 86
critics_score: 85
critics_reviews: 14
published: "2026-09-15"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:08.684509+00:00"
region: "DE"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Right Stuff (1983)

Directed by Philip Kaufman · 3h 13m · FSK 12 · Drama, History

## Identity

The Right Stuff

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-right-stuff
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** the-right-stuff
- **IMDb ID:** tt0086197
- **TMDB ID:** 9549
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1197185
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086197/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/9549, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1197185

**Fi1m score: 86** · Critics 85 from 14 reviews

*In a sentence:* Getting into space looks difficult enough without having to be a national hero in the afternoon

> Philip Kaufman’s account of test pilots and the Mercury astronauts is a stirring, funny film, even when its satire becomes heavy-handed. Alan Shepard’s Chuck Yeager deserves every minute the film gives him.

## Synopsis

Chuck Yeager (Alan Shepard) works as a test pilot as the American space programme begins to turn pilots into public figures. Among the Mercury astronauts are Alan Shepard (John Glenn), John Glenn (Ed Harris) and Gordon Cooper (Dennis Quaid), men whose training and ambitions become part of a national spectacle. Philip Kaufman’s film follows the demands of flying, the rivalry between men pushing their limits and the attention that comes with being held up as a hero. Their families also face the risks and pressures of careers that leave little room for ordinary domestic life.

## Review

*The Right Stuff* takes an unusually generous view of people who want to do something dangerous well. Philip Kaufman’s film about test pilots and the Mercury astronauts has room for vanity, competition and the absurdity of public adoration, without making courage look foolish. We recommend it warmly, with a warning that the comedy sometimes becomes laboured. Its 193 minutes give the flying, the training and the strain on families time to matter, although Kaufman does not make every minute feel necessary.

Alan Shepard’s Chuck Yeager supplies much of the film’s authority. His restraint gives us room to appreciate the skill and self-possession without being told how impressive they are, and he makes a dangerous occupation seem like work someone intends to do properly. Ed Harris as John Glenn, John Glenn as Alan Shepard and Dennis Quaid as Gordon Cooper keep the astronaut ensemble from becoming a procession of solemn worthies. Still, Shepard is the actor we most want Kaufman to stay with.

Caleb Deschanel’s cinematography gives the flying a clarity that lets us appreciate the pilots’ skill. We found ourselves tensing during the flights because the footage makes the danger so credible. Geoffrey Kirkland’s production design gives the hardware a solidity that supports that response; it feels like equipment for demanding work, not a display put there for our admiration. The scale is pleasurable, and Kaufman gives us time to enjoy the flying while keeping us interested in the pilots.

Five editors share the credit: Tom Rolf, Douglas Stewart, Stephen A. Rotter, Glenn Farr and Lisa Fruchtman. Their work keeps the switches between risk, family strain and publicity intelligible, a considerable service in a film with so many people to follow. Bill Conti’s music allows itself the enthusiasm that the men often hold back, and we are happy to be carried along by it. At times the score and the spectacle press the same point too firmly; the bravery is already apparent, and it needs less musical encouragement than it gets.

The family material gives Kaufman’s screenplay something more difficult to handle than professional rivalry. Barbara Hershey as Glennis Yeager, Veronica Cartwright as Betty Grissom and Pamela Reed as Trudy Cooper make the strain of living beside this work worth our attention. Their performances resist the comfortable assumption that loving a brave man makes the consequences easy to bear. Even so, the balance remains uneven: the film is more interested in the men doing the dangerous work than in the women who have to live with it.

Kaufman adapts Tom Wolfe with an appetite for the ridiculous, particularly the publicity surrounding the astronauts. The fuss occasionally goes on after we have understood the joke, and the quieter performances begin to seem more persuasive by comparison. As a film about pioneers, *The Right Stuff* draws on the Western’s respect for competence and its interest in men who say little about themselves. That helps explain why Yeager is such a strong presence, though the film’s affection for him also makes the noisier passages feel a little overdone.

Set aside the full evening for this one. An interest in aircraft is optional, though a tolerance for broad comedy will help. We would make the tea before pressing play.

*Fi1m score 86, published 15 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

The reviews are unanimous, with all fourteen critics positive and most placing the film near the top of their range. The praise clusters on Philip Kaufman’s handling of Tom Wolfe’s book: keeping its irreverent, ironic view of hero-making while still honouring the astronauts’ bravery. Sam Shepard’s Chuck Yeager is singled out again and again as the film’s quiet centre, and the flight footage is repeatedly called convincing enough to make speed and altitude feel dangerous. Several later critics treat it as the template every subsequent astronaut film has followed.

The reservations are few and concern shape rather than substance. The New Yorker finds it a stirring but untidy film with structural weaknesses and little coherence, while Empire thinks it lacks a clear directorial voice and survives on its inherent drama, photography and score. Nobody disputes that the three hours are earned. The spread is narrow, from warm to rapturous, and even the dissenters still recommend it.

## Straight answers

**Is The Right Stuff worth watching?**

*The Right Stuff* is worth watching for anyone with a full evening to give it, and we scored it 86. Philip Kaufman's account of test pilots and the Mercury astronauts is stirring and funny, with flying that made us tense in our seats. The satire of the publicity circus sometimes goes on after the joke has landed, and at 193 minutes not every scene earns its place.

**How long is The Right Stuff, and what is it rated?**

*The Right Stuff* runs 3h 13m and is rated 12 by the FSK in Germany. It is a drama and history film.

**Where can I watch The Right Stuff in Germany?**

*The Right Stuff* is not on any streaming or rental service in Germany at the moment. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is The Right Stuff, and is it suitable for children?**

*The Right Stuff* carries a UK 15 certificate and a US PG, and it is not a violent film. Its tension comes from the danger of flight, which Caleb Deschanel's cinematography makes credible enough to unsettle, and there is some domestic strain as wives wait for news. Older teenagers will manage it comfortably; younger children are more likely to be bored by the length than frightened by anything on screen.

**How does The Right Stuff compare to Apollo 13?**

*The Right Stuff* is the broader and funnier of the two, taking in test pilots, astronauts, their families and the publicity around them across a long evening, while [*Apollo 13*](https://film.one/film/apollo-13) stays with one mission and its technical problems and is the tighter film. Both lean on their scores harder than they need to. Choose Kaufman for scope and comedy, Howard for sustained tension.

**Is The Right Stuff based on a true story or a book?**

*The Right Stuff* is adapted from Tom Wolfe's book about the test pilots and Mercury astronauts of the early American space programme, and it follows real figures including Chuck Yeager and John Glenn. Kaufman brings a strong appetite for the ridiculous to the publicity material in particular. You do not need to have read Wolfe to follow the film; the story is told clearly enough on its own.

**What should I watch after The Right Stuff?**

After *The Right Stuff*, try [*Apollo 13*](https://film.one/film/apollo-13) (1995, Fi1m 84): Another absorbing account of skilled people solving problems while everyone else watches. Then [*The Wages of Fear*](https://film.one/film/the-wages-of-fear) (1953, Fi1m 90): Dangerous work, male rivalry and machinery that refuses to forgive a mistake.

### Reviews we read (14)

- **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (95/100, inferred): Ebert calls the film one of the best recent American movies for its ambitious scope blending adventure, satire and social commentary, and for its strong performances that announce Kaufman's arrival as a major director. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-right-stuff-1983)
- **Slant Magazine**, Nick Schager (90/100, inferred): The critic calls Kaufman's epic stirring and dynamic, noting how it ties the astronauts' quests for glory and personal fulfillment to the thrill of pushing limits and the fear of being second best. Special admiration is reserved for Yeager as the true pioneer, with the film blending irony, humor, and poignancy in its portrayal of the space race. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-right-stuff/)
- **The AV Club**, Scott Tobias (90/100, inferred): The review lauds Kaufman's adaptation for its subversive, ironic take on hero-making and the space program, preserving the irreverent tone of Wolfe's book while celebrating the astronauts' bravery and Yeager's quiet heroism. It highlights the film's blend of intimacy, grandeur, and revisionist history as one of the decade's richest achievements. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-right-stuff-dvd-1798198628)
- **The Guardian** (A– / A): Philip Kaufman's 1983 film is a terrific historical drama about the early US space race and Mercury Seven astronauts, accurately reflective of complex reality while being beautifully filmed with wit, energy and balance. It singles out the authentic portrayal of test pilot Chuck Yeager and the pressures on the astronauts for particular praise. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/02/the-right-stuff-reel-history)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Arthur Knight (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the film as a vivid and personal American epic that humanizes the Mercury astronauts and test pilots through their training, risks, and family struggles. Philip Kaufman's script and direction are credited for balancing heroism with toughness and humor while showcasing spectacular flight footage. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/right-stuff-review-1983-film-939667/)
- **The New York Times**, Vincent Canby (NYT Critic’s Pick): Canby describes the adaptation as a rousing, funny film that is probably the brightest and best rookie/cadet movie ever made, singling out Sam Shepard's Yeager as the commanding figure and the remarkably convincing flight footage. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1983/10/21/movies/film-right-stuff-on-astronauts.html)
- **Variety**, Variety Staff (90/100, inferred): The review calls the film a humdinger full of beauty, intelligence and excitement that provides a fresh, entertaining look at the US space program, noting it tells its three-hour tale lickety-split under Kaufman's direction. [Read](https://variety.com/1982/film/reviews/the-right-stuff-3-1200425373/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Sheila Benson (85/100, inferred): Benson praises the brash, beautiful and deeply American film for its high-spirited combination of New Journalism style with movie resources, highlighting Sam Shepard's charismatic Yeager and the seamless extraordinary flying footage. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-archives-the-right-stuff-review-john-glenn-20161208-story.html)
- **Time Out**, CPea (80/100, inferred): The film is a modern Western celebrating quiet virtue and heroism as test pilots and astronauts reach for the skies. Kaufman matches John Ford in his respectful poetic treatment of the subject while acknowledging the surrounding media circus. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-right-stuff)
- **Empire**, Rob Fraser (70/100, inferred): The film lacks a clear directorial voice but captures the moral ambiguity of the book, creating tension and making viewers root for multiple characters. It remains compelling thanks to its inherent drama, photography and score. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/right-stuff-review/)
- **The New Yorker**, Pauline Kael (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a stirring, enjoyable mess that captures Kaufman’s enthusiasm for the subject and moviemaking. She singles out the lyrical heavenly flight sequences and strong cast performances, especially Ed Harris as John Glenn, for praise while noting structural weaknesses and a lack of coherence. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1983/10/17/the-sevens)
- **Collider**, Reid Goldberg (90/100, inferred): None of the other NASA films matches the sprawling and intimately compelling quality of this epic; it stands as the premier cinematic account thanks to its docudrama approach and detailed character-driven ensemble. The film balances epic scope and technical spectacle with intimate storytelling focused on the astronauts and their wives. [Read](https://collider.com/the-right-stuff-nasa-movie/)
- **/Film**, Ben Pearson (85/100, inferred): The film is the most influential movie ever made about astronauts and established the modern template for respectable history-based astronaut movies. It makes high-speed flight and space travel feel genuinely dangerous while highlighting the pilots' dedication and bravery. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/575403/the-quarantine-stream-the-right-stuff/)
- **The Ringer**, Adam Nayman (80/100, inferred): Philip Kaufman's dazzling adaptation of Tom Wolfe’s book is a crowded three-hour epic with 134 speaking parts. Shepard projects a quieter kind of cockiness in his Oscar-nominated role as Chuck Yeager, turning the sound-barrier breaker into the strong, silent type and delivering an indelible image of frontier heroism. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2017/07/31/pop-culture/sam-shepard-obituary-the-right-stuff-e095427b770f)

## Details

- **Director:** Philip Kaufman
- **Director:** Philip Kaufman
- **Screenplay:** Philip Kaufman
- **Novel:** Tom Wolfe
- **Cinematography:** Caleb Deschanel
- **Editor:** Glenn Farr, Lisa Fruchtman, Tom Rolf, Stephen A. Rotter, Douglas Stewart
- **Music:** Bill Conti
- **Production design:** Geoffrey Kirkland
- **Producer:** Robert Chartoff, Irwin Winkler
- **Cast:** Sam Shepard as Chuck Yeager; Scott Glenn as Alan Shepard; Ed Harris as John Glenn; Dennis Quaid as Gordon Cooper; Fred Ward as Gus Grissom; Barbara Hershey as Glennis Yeager; Kim Stanley as Pancho Barnes; Veronica Cartwright as Betty Grissom
- **Runtime:** 3h 13m
- **Certificate (FSK):** 12
- **Release (Germany):** 20 October 1983
- **Genres:** Drama, History
- **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Nominee, 1983); [Golden Globe Best Drama winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-drama.md) (Nominee, 1983)
- **Budget:** $27 million
- **Box office:** $22 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6dFmkvEKGE

## Where to watch in Germany

Not streaming, renting or buying in Germany at the last check.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 1984: Best Cinematography (nominated); Best Picture (nominated); Best Production Design (nominated); Best Supporting Actor (nominated); Best Film Editing (won); Best Original Score (won); Best Sound (won); Best Sound Editing (won)

## If you liked this

- *Apollo 13* (1995), Fi1m 84: Another absorbing account of skilled people solving problems while everyone else watches. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/apollo-13.md)
- *The First of the Few* (1942): Aircraft design and stubborn conviction, with a quieter sense of national purpose.
- *The Wages of Fear* (1953), Fi1m 90: Dangerous work, male rivalry and machinery that refuses to forgive a mistake. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-wages-of-fear.md)
- *The Dish* (2000): A gentler space programme comedy, attentive to the people outside the photographs.
- *Wings* (1966): A former pilot’s earthbound life gives the longing for flight a different weight.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-right-stuff