The Right Stuff (1983)

Everybody secretly wants to be an astronaut, especially people who have seen The Right Stuff (1983). This jocular adaptation of Tom Wolfe's book glorifies space cowboy Chuck Yeager (Sam Shepard) and his NASA pals Alan Shepard (Scott Glenn), John Glenn (Ed Harris) and the rest of the Mercury 7 crew, while still portraying them as imperfect human beings who maybe, just maybe, had no idea what they were getting into. And why not glorify them? It takes cojones to be launched into orbit in a tin can not much bigger than a bathroom stall, and with out-of-this world women like fan dancer Peggy Davis back on Earth, plenty to return home for. The Right Stuff will get you right stiff!