How Philip Kaufman Made ‘The Right Stuff’ Just Right

The latest in pop-culture news, recaps, and reviews, plus close reads, profiles, interviews, and more from Vulture.com. [Brand Logo]( finding heavenly light [‘It’s Probably the Longest Movie Ever Made Without a Plot’]( The director discusses how film fibs, demons, and labia made The Right Stuff just right. Photo: Warner Bros. Philip Kaufman’s film The Right Stuff is widely regarded as one of the best movies of the 1980s, one of the most quintessentially American, and a gold mine of quotable moments (cue “Hey, Ridley, got any Beemans?”). But like John Glenn orbiting the planet, Kaufman’s epic had to circle the pantheon many times before splashdown. It was adapted from a best seller by Tom Wolfe, a rare rock-star-famous writer, and produced by Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff, who oversaw the Rocky series and Raging Bull; however, Kaufman’s opus about test pilots, astronauts, and their partners came and went from theaters, receiving mixed reviews from critics and earning $21 million in ticket sales against a $27 million budget. [read more]( Devour pop culture with us. [Subscribe now]( to save over 60% on unlimited access to Vulture and everything New York. The Latest TV Recaps • Married to Medicine: [Here Comes the Bride]( • The Gilded Age: [The Melodrama Is Here]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Stories We Think You’ll Like [Billy Porter’s Never-Ending Performance This year’s Vulture Honorary Degree recipient had to wait for the culture to catch up to him (even as he coaxed it along).]( [Every Bob’s Burgers Thanksgiving Episode, Ranked A deadly turkey trot, a snow day for the ages, and dinner cooked over an alley fire.]( [‘I’m Very Careful Not to Use Words Like Genocide’ An actor and a showrunner on the politics of speaking out about Israel and Palestine in Hollywood.]( As told to Rebecca Alter [The Fallout of the Artforum Letter Continues Artists and collectors turn on each other.]( By Rachel Corbett [Saltburn’s Devious Naked-Dance Scene, Explained by Its Choreographer All the nerves, emotions, and hidden layers of meaning that went into this psychosexual thriller’s final provocation.]( By Laura Martin [Shakira Settles Tax-Fraud Case With $7.5 Million Payment But she’s still saying “objection” to those claims.]( By Justin Curto [Oh No, Is Squid Game: The Challenge … Good? The adaptation of Netflix’s capitalism-skewering phenomenon is so openly venal it might just reinvent reality TV.]( By Nicholas Quah [Here Are the Winners of the 2023 Billboard Music Awards Eleven wins for Morgan Wallen, ten for Taylor Swift.]( By Bethy Squires [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Today’s Crossword]( 31-Across, Five Letters: What it’s not easy to be, per Kermit the Frog. Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Getty [Vulture Recommends]( We consume it all so you don’t have to. Photo: Joan Marcus/all rights reserved Hell’s Kitchen — the [new musical]( spearheaded by the multi–Grammy-winning R&B singer-songwriter Alicia Keys — is chocolate-chip cookies: Its shape and taste are familiar, and when it’s best, it’s because there are some extremely high-quality ingredients in the mix. —Sara Holdren [Read more from Vulture]( A newsletter of TV and movie recommendations. [Sign up]( to get it every week. [Get the Newsletter]( [logo]( [facebook logo]( [instagram logo]( [twitter logo]( [unsubscribe]( | [privacy notice]( | [update preferences]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Was this email forwarded to you? [Sign up now]( to get this newsletter in your inbox. [View this email in your browser.]( You received this email because you have a subscription to New York. Reach the right online audience with us For advertising information on email newsletters, please contact AdOps@nymag.com Vox Media, LLC 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, 12th Floor Washington, DC 20036 Copyright © 2023, All rights reserved