The Right Stuff

The Right Stuff was a box office failure upon its release, despite finding a fair amount of success with the Academy Awards, but I would not say it is a film that has found its place with a cult status. It is instead specifically beholden to those who see it, which isn't a cult in this case, it's just anyone who happens to see it. The failure of the film seems strange, but perhaps it is because the film itself does not pigeonhole itself in its genre whether it be as a historical epic, a character study, a satire, or specifically a special effects driven picture. It is all of these, but you cannot sell the film on a single one despite excelling in each. On one hand it is a picture that celebrates ambition, and pure Americana in a purest of sense. Granting it this invigorating mysticism particularly in the exploits of Sam Shepard's Chuck Yeager. It captures that achievement purely. It succeeds in being a character study of Yeager, but also so many of the Mercury seven realizing the different big personalities so brilliantly. It is a satire though in that it reveals the ridiculousness of the propaganda and subverts the American dream even after having given credence to it. It does both without failing at either nor losing the sense of its tone. On top of it all it is a visual masterpiece with visual effects which hold up to this day. I love this film because it successfully says that this story doesn't need to be about a single thing. It is about the thrill, and achievement through overall ambition. It is about the big personalities it requires to fulfill the ambition, it is about how all of that is even ridiculous in its own way too. It finds the complexities and revels in it. It's a great film.
5/5