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THE RIGHT STUFF (1983) It's no secret that Americans generally have no interest in their country's own history (which helps explain why it sadly keeps repeating itself), so maybe nobody should have been surprised when Philip Kaufman's heavily hyped adaptation of Tom Wolfe's bestseller turned out to be a notorious box office flop. But the passage of 20 years hasn't changed the fact that this glorious motion picture is a genuine American classic, an exciting, inspirational tale that looks at the early years of the space program. Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, Scott Glenn and Fred Ward are among those portraying the Mercury astronauts who shed the shallow personas thrust upon them by the zealous media and eventually emerged as true heroes, and despite some whiplash shifts in tone (appropriating everything from bathroom humor to Aboriginal mysticism), the film's overall sense of wonder and discovery is never diminished. Extras on the two-disc DVD include three decent documentaries, some negligible additional scenes, a special on John Glenn, and a nifty interactive timeline charting the space program. Movie: / Extras:
-- Matt Brunson