All right, enough about wimps. Let's talk about some macho dudes with that special something, that stuff that makes you the toughest of the tough, the bravest of the brave, the best of the best.
Seven men: the Mercury astronauts. Selected for their superhuman physical and psychological fortitude to beat the Russians at the space race and thus preserve Democracy for generations to come. Seven men played by seven terrific actors:
John Glenn, played by Ed Harris (Glengarry Glen Ross, The Truman Show): the prude of the bunch. An all-American, and God bless him, a Democratic. He forewent the carnal perks of celebrity, remaining faithful to his cute stuttering wife, and karma rewarded him by making him the first man into orbit, and history rewarded him with canonization. This should serve to prove that ultimately, man is judged by what he does, not who.
Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, played by Fred Ward (Tremors, Henry & June): the second man in space, he may or may not have screwed the pooch (that's pilot for fucking up) and lost the Liberty Bell 7 to the sea. Gus wasn't the most articulate of men, but he was a good pilot, and a loyal friend, and when he augured in (pilot for died) a few years later in a tragic aerospace-related mishap, he was widely mourned.
Alan Shepard, played by Scott Glenn (Silverado, The Silence of the Lambs): straight outta the Navy, somehow this Swabby got to be the first American in space. His Jose Jimenez impersonation always cracked up the guys in the control tower, but don't ask him about that urination in the spacesuit thing ("Why, Alan must have had 4 cups of coffee before he left the house this morning!").
Gordo Cooper, played by Dennis Quaid (Innerspace, Great Balls of Fire): the last Mercury astronaut to make it up there, Gordo is the focus of The Right Stuff for some reason. He can sleep anywhere, doesn't consider his marriage vows exactly binding, and is a crazy hot dog sonofabitch pilot.
Wally Schirra, played by Lance Henriksen (Terminator, Aliens): barely has a line in the whole film.
Scott Carpenter, played by Charles Frank ("Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo", "Ski Lift to Death"): appears around the edges as Glenn's sidekick. He wins the lung capacity contest, but isn't notable for much else.
Deke Slayton, played by Scott Paulin (Teen Wolf, "Dreams of Gold: The Mel Fisher Story"--not as Mel Fisher): doesn't do a damn thing the entire picture.
But for all the glory accorded these seven men, one man towers above all of them. That's right, Yeager. Chuck Yeager (Sam Shepard) was the first man to break Mach 1, and the greatest pilot that ever lived. Sure, he could have been an astronaut, but getting projected up into the air, then dropping down into the sea like a cannonball . . ? Why, that ain't flying..
The Right Stuff is one of the most entertaining films every made. Based on Tom Wolfe's terrific book, it's got romance, and heroism, and comedy (Jeff Goldblum and Harry Shearer show up for part of the movie as a couple of doofy recruiters). For any man who's every looked up at the sky, and dreamed of flying higher, and faster, and with less crashing, or just dreamed of getting famous enough to get more pussy than any other man, The Right Stuff is the movie for you.
Name: Vinod Panikulam Subject: best movie -- Sep 2, 2003 at 2:03PM This is the best movie made and ever will be made...I will bet on that.
Name: Alan Smithee (nah) Subject: There was a demon that lived in the air... -- Nov 21, 2001 at 8:50PM The Right Stuff is a brilliant movie, good acting, a brilliant soundtrack and an overall good story. I haven't read the Tom Wolfe book, but this is pretty faithful to the real story I believe.
Name: Jernej Subject: The right stuff, no doubt! -- Oct 26, 2001 at 6:58PM The title is the description of the movie itself. It's not only the acting that puts it above that average thing we're full of. The director's efforts should also be certified in this one. And the most important in this movie, the dialogues. They just rox! Definitely a movie for everybody. I've seen two versions of this movie. The TV version was the version I liked the most. DVD version lacks some scenes i think. That's kind a odd but I swear it does. Just watch it... Judge it not. It's classic! :)
Name: Chris Lubke Subject: The Right Movie -- Aug 8, 2001 at 5:43AM I am 26 years old and most people my age (and definately younger) that I know have never seen this movie. At work when people chat about the best movies ever made like Titanic, Pulp Fiction, or The Matrix (the typical stuff), I bring up movies like Full Metal Jacket, Somewhere In Time, and The Right Stuff. Most people are like "huh? never saw those ones." and then they'll go on talking about the best aviation classic of all time 'Top Gun' "Oh yeah, that was the absolute coolest movie ever made." they say. It's really sad that movies like these become more and more forgotten everyday.
Name: Terri Subject: A Pic from the Right Stuff -- Apr 19, 2001 at 3:08PM My boss is looking for a photo that he saw associated with the movie THE RIGHT STUFF ... he says it's a picture of about 4-6 spacesuits hanging on a rack. They are at a side view. Know where I can find that picture!
Name: Tim Subject: One of my faves -- Aug 30, 2000 at 2:54AM "The Right Stuff" is one of my favorite movies, definitely in the top ten. Every time I see it I feel like I've just witnessed a glorious epic (The Ten Commandments gives me the same feeling but not as much as this one does). And the score is Bill Conti's best ever. A tremendous film, deserving of the Oscars it won and the top 250 status on the Internet Movie Database. Great review, Thanks Kerry, I agree!
