Review of The Right Stuff (1983) by Josh H — 08 Oct 2007

Visually magnificent. This film never quite spoke to me the way I expected it to, but it was certainly one of the most â??well-madeâ?? movies I have seen. The Right Stuff ran 193 minutes and I never grew tired of it.

In fact, I was craving even more aeronautical and civic history when the credits rolled. Over the top at times, as would be expected of any epic of this scale, especially in the portrayal of LBJ, the raucous media, and the unfair implication that Gus Grissom panicked moments after his capsule hit the ocean.

Director Phillip Kaufman manages to amalgamate biting social commentary and satire into an uplifting story of courage, grit and great achievements. The government, military, NASA program and the Mercury 7 were all simultaneously criticized and glorified in this film, which was remarkable considering the smooth narrative.

Caleb Deschanelâ??s cinematography was wonderful, Bill Contiâ??s score right-on and the overall art of this film (costumes, sound, setting) was so aesthetically pleasing, too much so perhaps. The stellar cast was highlighted by a charming Dennis Quaid (didnâ??t even realize it was him), hilarious Jeff Goldblum, scene-stealing (better than Hoosiers) Barbara Hershey, a convincing Ed Harris as John Glenn, and so on.

Fred Ward's "Fuckin' A, Bubba!" was hilarious. But it was Levon Helm (resembling Slim Pickens in Dr. Strangelove) that stole the show with his brief, but powerful, narration and his fine performance in a minor role as Jack Ridley.

â??There was a demon that lived in the air. They said whoever challenged him would dieâ?¦â?? A legendary American delivering a legendary American story.