The Right Stuff, the Academy Award-winning masterpiece from 1983, has found a new streaming home. The film, written and directed by Philip Kaufman, is now streaming on Tubi, meaning fans will be able to watch the film for absolutely free. Other classics arriving on the free streaming service include 1986’sLittle Shop Of Horrors, Steven Spielberg’sJaws,Chariots of Fire, andFerris Bueller’s Day Off.
Based on Tom Wolfe’s non-fiction novel of the same name, the very realistic space race film follows the intense journey of the test pilots who eventually form the group known as the Mercury Seven. They were the pioneers selected by the U.S. government to venture intoouter space. Per the film’s official plot synopsis:
The U.S. space program’s development from the breaking of the sound barrier to the selection of the Mercury 7 astronauts, from a group of test pilots with a more seat-of-the-pants approach than the program’s more cautious engineers preferred.
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The Right Stuffstars a great number of Hollywood icons. The ensemble cast included Sam Shepard, Dennis Quaid, Ed Harris, Fred Ward, Barbara Hershey, Lance Henriksen, Scott Glenn, Kim Stanley, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright and more. The ensemble cast was one of many things that made the project a particularly expensive one. United Artists approved the massive production budget of $20 million, but the box office disaster ofHeaven’s Gatehappened afterward. The Western epic had made $3.5 million from a $44 million budget, and all projects in development by United Artists faced probable cancellation. Following this failure and screenwriter William Goldman deciding to exit the film (because of creative differences with Kaufman), United Artists canceled the movie.
Eventually, the project gained the trust of The Ladd Company, and they decided to finance the film with the supervision of Warner Bros. The pre-production process saw Kaufman pursue as much realism as possible. This meant that real aircraft were used for some sequences, as well as scale models. Nevertheless, the film suffered some backlash because of some historical inaccuracies–especially all the scenes involving Gus Grissom (played by Ward), whose portrayal in the film was challenged by real-life astronauts.
The Right Stuffwasa box office disappointment, grossing over $21 million domestically from a $27 million production budget. This unexpected result was the nail in the coffin for The Ladd Company, which had actually produced the 1984 box office hitPolice Academy, but by that point, it was too late. The production company shut down its production operations soon after that.
‘The Right Stuff’ Failed at the Box Office, But It Was Critically Acclaimed
While the production was difficult (a stuntman died while shooting an action scene), and the film had a lukewarm reception at the box office,The Right Stuffwas critically acclaimed. Famed critic Roger Ebert gave the film four stars, and today, it sits at 96% at Rotten Tomatoes.
At the Academy Awards, the film received eight nominations, including Best Picture. It won in the following categories: Best Film Editing, Best Original Score (Bill Conti), Best Sound, and Best Sound Effects Editing. Even thoughReturn of the Jediwas the frontrunner in the technical categories,The Right Stuffbeatthe space operain three of those categories. However, theStar Warssequel was recognized with a Special Achievement Award in Visual Effects.
Source:Tubi
The Right Stuff
