The Right Stuff (2020)

The Right Stuff doesn’t reach for the stars, but looks back to the Earth from which the phenomenon of astronauts and space travel, the glamour and the myths grew, along with the appetites they fed, and is all the more interesting for that.

A surprisingly compelling workplace drama once it dives into the strained interpersonal relationships between the American men competing to be the first in space.

Expanded into an eight-hour series, The Right Stuff doesn't feel the need for speed. What it loses in momentum, however, this Disney+ series gains in its characterizations, offering a satisfying voyage back into the stories of the men at the center of the Mercury 7 space program, as well as the women that loved and/or endured them.

While it would be next to impossible to duplicate the shining brilliance of Philip Kaufman’s 1983 theatrical adaptation of the same material (IMHO the best astronaut movie ever made), show creator Mark Lafferty has delivered a visually striking, well-acted period piece that plays like “Mad Men: The Flyboys Edition.”

While Adams and McDorman dominate, they’re not the only ones to watch. The other five get their moments; their families do, too.

It’s a glossy, traditionally presented piece of entertainment that tries to chip away at some of our traditional notions about the space program. It may not fully take off right away, but there’s enough potential here to suggest that a commitment to this dramatized version of a well-known saga will result in some rewards.

We’ve seen the story of The Right Stuff before, but even if we hadn’t, it’s 2020 and Google plus a quick trip to Wikipedia will tell you everything you need to know. But despite these obstacles, the eight-episode series—seeped in its era much the same way Mad Men was—is more often than not a compelling, inspirational drama that does its best to command our attention. ... I’m just not sure it’s a story that needed to be told again.

The setting and performances make for a solid period drama, but after the premieres of The First and For All Mankind, as well as the releases of First Man and Ad Astra, The Right Stuff looks more like an imitator than the originator, despite its groundbreaking source material.