It still thrills with its expert casting and dazzling visuals.

| Oct 28, 2023

The Right Stuff gives off a pleasurable hum: it’s the writer-director Philip Kaufman’s enjoyment of the subject, the actors, and moviemaking itself.

| Sep 13, 2023

Where 2001: A Space Odyssey depicted astronauts (and mankind) as being at the mercy of some higher, alien intelligence, The Right Stuff finds its characters imposing their will on the unknown.

| Mar 27, 2020

Philip Kaufman's 1983 film is an efficient and absorbing recapitulation of the main events of Tom Wolfe's book that still never succeeds in capturing the inner drives and ethics of the test pilots and astronauts - the "right stuff" never materializes.

| Feb 4, 2019

Rarely has a film made a historic accomplishment seem so vivid and personal... It makes you wonder, quite suddenly, why there aren't more movies like this.

| Jan 29, 2019

The Right Stuff is a spectacular celebration of those heroes of the skies -- those fly jocks who fought the demons of space to launch a new era in American air technology.

| Oct 22, 2018

Kaufman has combined the resources and ingenuity of movie making with the freewheeling, damn-the-conventions style of of the New Journalism and come up with a generous, high-spirited look at the bravery and lunacy that was that era.

| Dec 9, 2016

It means something to be a member of the brotherhood whose trials and accomplishments are celebrated so enjoyably in The Right Stuff.

| Dec 18, 2015

Moviegoers seeking a grand yet edifying entertainment, right-stuffed with what Kaufman calls "seriousness of subject matter and a wild humor that comes out of left field," now know where to look...

| Oct 5, 2011

The Right Stuff is a humdinger. Full of beauty, intelligence and excitement, this big-scale look at the development of the US space program and its pioneering aviators provides a fresh, entertaining look back at the recent past.

| Mar 26, 2009

Consistently compelling, capturing all the ambiguity and tension of the book.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Dec 30, 2006

From the opening moments it is clear that we have the nearest modern equivalent to a Western: men of quiet virtue going skyward, leaving the tawdry world of log-rolling politicians behind.

| Jun 24, 2006

Unjustly labeled a failure after its disappointing box office run, The Right Stuff's tarnished reputation can only benefit from Warner's sparkling new 2-disc special edition.

| Jul 8, 2003

These men remain virtually flawless heroes, almost too good, decent and brave to be true, and it's a measure of how successful the movie is that one is inclined to believe it.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | May 20, 2003

That the writer-director, Philip Kaufman, is able to get so much into a little more than three hours is impressive. That he also has organized this material into one of the best recent American movies is astonishing.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Mar 25, 2003

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Oct 3, 2002