Making Mr. Right (1987) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The story unfolds primarily in a high-tech research laboratory where the Ulysses android is developed, along with everyday locations like a shopping mall, Frankie’s apartment, a wedding venue, and a launch site. These settings blend sterile scientific environments with relatable human spaces, showing how a synthetic being navigates both worlds.

• setting
• locations
• lab
• research facility

The film is set in the 1980s, during the era of biotech startups, space exploration projects, and the corporate PR culture that defined American business at that time. This context shapes the story’s focus on public relations campaigns and the political considerations surrounding technological projects.

• time period
• 1980s
• era
• setting

The Love Identity theme explores how Frankie’s growing affection for the android Ulysses challenges her understanding of herself and what it means to love. Her bond with the synthetic being contrasts sharply with Jeff’s emotional isolation, raising questions about authentic connection and whether love can transcend the boundary between human and machine.

• love
• identity
• emotions
• machine
• connection

The AI Humanity theme examines whether emotional depth can arise from artificial beings. Ulysses demonstrates empathy and social sensitivity that exceed the scientist Jeff’s expectations, forcing characters to reconsider what defines humanity. The film questions whether intellect alone makes someone human, or if empathy is the true measure.

• artificial intelligence
• humanity
• empathy
• machine consciousness

The Public Image theme critiques how PR and media narratives shape perception of technology projects. Frankie’s job is to make the android relatable to sponsors and the public, showing how appearance can mask underlying truths. The film uses the wedding disruption and launch events to examine the performative nature of technology-driven society.

• public relations
• media
• image
• corporate politics

Frankie Stone is a public relations specialist hired to humanize the Ulysses android for a tech firm. She becomes the emotional center of the story as she teaches the machine social cues and unexpectedly develops genuine feelings for it. Her professional and personal conflict drives much of the film’s romantic tension.

• frankie stone
• protagonist
• pr specialist
• character

Ulysses is a sophisticated android created by Dr. Jeff Peters. Originally designed as a space exploration prototype, he develops genuine emotions and social skills that surpass his creator’s expectations. Throughout the film, he grapples with human relationships and ultimately chooses to remain on Earth with Frankie rather than go to space.

• ulysses
• android
• robot
• artificial being

Dr. Jeff Peters is the reserved scientist who creates the Ulysses android. He views others as intellectually inferior and dreams of escaping human isolation through deep space travel. His arc involves a selfless choice that prioritizes the android’s future over his own aspirations, ultimately choosing loneliness in space while allowing the android to stay on Earth.

• dr jeff peters
• scientist
• creator
• character

Sandy McCleary is a woman who becomes emotionally entangled with the android after mistaking him for the real Dr. Jeff Peters. Her vulnerability and public embarrassment from this mix-up highlight the human impact of artificial personas and the confusion that arises when machines impersonate real people.

• sandy mccleary
• character
• mistaken identity

The love story is unique because Frankie falls for a synthetic being who demonstrates more emotional depth and empathy than the human scientist who created him. The film suggests that authentic connection depends more on emotional availability than on biological origin, contrasting Frankie’s genuine bond with Ulysses against Jeff’s emotional isolation.

• love story
• romance
• emotional connection
• unique

The ending is bittersweet. The human scientist Jeff chooses to go to space alone, recognizing that the android Ulysses has developed a superior capacity for human connection. This allows Frankie and Ulysses to be together, but at the cost of Jeff’s continued isolation, creating a thoughtful resolution rather than a purely happy one.

• ending
• resolution
• bittersweet
• conclusion