"The Right Stuff" is one of my all-time favorite movies (the book by Tom Wolfe is pretty good as well). The movie portrayed an America that used to be. Some artistic license was taken with the dialogues and personal situations of the characters but by and large, the book and movie accurately portrayed how the sound barrier was broken and the early years of our space program.
I can't believe Sam Shepard was 73 - we all get old so quickly. We need to appreciate every day of the life that we have.