This movie is not only entertaining, but it also works great as a history lesson. It grippingly captures the early days of the U.S. space program, focusing on the seven Mercury astronauts -- how they were chosen, their giant personalities, their wives' emotional difficulties, and their triumphs. As a high-school teacher, I have shown this "old" 1983 movie to kids in recent years, and I'm happy to report they get into it. As I watch them watching the movie, the vast majority of them are rivetted. The movie was nominated for Best Picture but lost to "Terms of Endearment." That was a good movie, but not a great one. "The Right Stuff" is great.