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‘Fly Me to the Moon’ Review: This NASA Rom-Com Stays Earthbound
Greg Berlanti’s movie, starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum as only mildly mismatched lovers, is set against the backdrop of the Apollo 11 landing.
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By Glenn Kenny
Speaking of the American moon landing of 1969, which he watched on television, Vladimir Nabokov rhapsodized in an interview, that “treading the soil of the moon gives one, I imagine (or rather my projected self imagines) the most remarkable romantic thrill ever experienced in the history of discovery.”
In “Fly Me to the Moon,” an occasionally engaging comedy set against the backdrop of the Apollo 11 moon landing, the romance is entirely earthbound.
The director is Greg Berlanti, a veteran of swoony prime-time dramas like “Dawson’s Creek” and “Riverdale,” whose big-screen pictures include the ghastly 2010 rom-com “Life as We Know It” and the surprisingly (and effectively) earnest teenage coming-out comedy-drama “Love, Simon.” The script is by Rose Gilroy (she’s the daughter of the “Velvet Buzzsaw” auteur Dan Gilroy and the actress Rene Russo) from a story by Bill Kirstein and Keenan Flynn.
But the movie lives and dies with its lead actors, Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum. As lovers who are only mildly mismatched, they never seem to falter, no matter what potentially stupefying paces the movie puts them through.
Johansson is Kelly Jones, or rather, “Kelly Jones,” a perky, persistent, charmingly dissembling advertising executive whose pitches are often as phony as her name. Her ignoble hidden past is one reason she accepts a pitch from a shady White House operative, Moe Berkus (Woody Harrelson, slipping into comedic disreputability like he’s putting on a comfortable smoking jacket), who knows all about her and offers to make that past disappear if she successfully markets the Apollo 11 mission.
At first it’s all relatively harmless “Mad Men” stuff — getting the astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins to do product endorsements. But her assignment gets much dicier when Berkus suggests that Kelly contrive a contingency presentation — that is, a fake moon landing — in the event that the intrepid spacemen don’t actually make it to their destination.
Tatum is Cole Davis, the mission flight coordinator who, of course, disapproves of the crass commercialism of Kelly’s work. But his objections have trouble sticking given that, in their meet-cute encounter at a diner, Davis, in all ignorance of Kelly and what she’s up to, blurts that she’s the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen.
Cole and Kelly’s initial exchanges crackle with screwball energy; Johansson’s fast-talking dialogue and delivery honor the tradition established by Rosalind Russell and Katharine Hepburn. Tatum’s character is, in this same tradition, a bit of a stiff who loosens up after being shaken up; this actor is not Cary Grant, and doesn’t try to be, but he’s very good at looking silly without acting silly when a scene calls for it.
But as the movie progresses, its story grows convoluted and belabored. The plot-point use of Apollo 1, the disastrous real-life mission that took the lives of three astronauts in 1967, is initially tolerably discreet. But when it’s expanded (Cole is haunted because he was also the flight coordinator on that launch, it turns out), it becomes an unpalatable lapse of taste from which the movie has a hard time recovering.
Fly Me to the Moon Rated PG-13. Running time: 2 hours 12 minutes. In theaters.
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‘Fly Me to the Moon’ Review: A Rocket’s Red Glare Gives Proof to Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum’s Screen Chemistry
Originally intended for streaming, Greg Berlanti's Apollo 11 crowd-pleaser is the rare 21st-century rom-com to boast the brains and heart to support repeat viewing.
By Peter Debruge
Peter Debruge
Chief Film Critic
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Trailers make “ Fly Me to the Moon ” look cute at best, when in fact it’s quite clever: a smarter-than-it-sounds, space-age sparring match of the Rock Hudson/Doris Day variety, in which the honest-to-a-fault NASA launch director responsible for sending Apollo 11 into orbit (a straight-faced Channing Tatum ) goes head-to-head with a mendacious Madison Avenue spin doctor ( Scarlett Johansson , delightfully wily). Set during the first half of 1969, director Greg Berlanti ’s high-concept screwball comedy values chemistry over history, bending the facts to suggest a fresh set of stakes for the operation, where romance fuels a rocket to the moon.
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It might literally take a rocket scientist like Tatum’s Air Force pilot-turned-NASA team captain Cole Davis to get America on the moon, but without the brains of Kelly Jones (Johansson’s quick-witted but fictional character), Apollo 11 might never have gotten off the ground — that’s how vital the PR component was to its success. By acknowledging that, Gilroy and Berlanti capture a turning point in American history, when spin became the coin of the realm … which seems all the more relevant in light of recent events.
Frankly, there’s little chance a movie like this would have flown in 1969 (remember, that was the year of the Manson murders, when “Easy Rider” became a surprise blockbuster and X-rated “Midnight Cowboy” won best picture). It’s unusual even by contemporary standards, when rom-coms have been all but relegated to streaming — where this Apple original was destined until test screenings showed it could support a theatrical run. With its retro-styled polyester costumes and relatively chaste love story, Berlanti’s film reaches back to an earlier, more innocent time, even as it presents a country in turmoil: The Vietnam War was dividing Americans at home, and President Nixon desperately wanted to make good on Kennedy’s promise to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.
Enter Moe Burkus (Woody Harrelson), a shadowy government agent tasked with instigating conspiracies. He shows up at a Manhattan bar and offers Kelly (who’s been selling lies her entire life) a chance to redeem herself. Her assignment is to bring America around to supporting Apollo 11, which means convincing not just the public, but also a handful of politicians holding out on a much-needed vote on Capitol Hill.
From the moment she appears on screen — wearing a fake pregnancy bump to an ad-agency pitch meeting — Johansson shows where Kelly’s morals lie. She’s playing a corporate con woman to Tatum’s overgrown boy scout. In a scene straight out of “Top Gun,” the two characters meet at a roadside diner in Cocoa Beach, Fla., the night before they’re destined to cross paths at Kennedy Space Center.
“You’re on fire,” Cole tells her, and Kelly deflects the line, not realizing that, in fact, her notebook is blazing. The next day, the pair are considerably cooler around one another, as Cole considers whatever she’s been hired to do a distraction to the task at hand, which is getting his men safely to the moon. (He still carries the deaths of the three Apollo 1 astronauts on his conscience.) Gilroy’s script may not be historically accurate, but it is rigorously researched and ingeniously structured, using forgotten or little-publicized aspects of the mission in unexpected ways.
Compare that to Damien Chazelle’s “First Man,” Hollywood’s more overtly hagiographic look at Apollo 11 (and Armstrong in particular). “Fly Me to the Moon” isn’t nearly as likely to be shown in classrooms, but I found it infinitely more entertaining — and more revealing of American society. The modern era is all about selling, and even such an important endeavor had to be sold to the people. After Kelly offers NASA-themed partnerships to some of America’s most popular brands (from Omega watches to Fruit of the Loom undies), Cole tells her he has no intention of turning his rocket into a giant billboard.
That’s why Moe takes to Kelly’s idea of televising the moon landing, insisting that they stage the historical moment in a controlled environment. Moe essentially blackmails her into playing along, which amounts to an even greater betrayal of Cole’s trust than she’s already done by casting actors to play him and lead engineer Henry Smalls (Ray Romano) for the cameras. But Kelly has no choice, and so she enlists an old friend, high-maintenance director Lance Vespertine (Jim Rash, flamboyantly over-the-top), to do what even Kubrick wouldn’t.
Considering how important sincerity is to Cole, it’s hard to imagine Kelly’s budding relationship with him surviving such a deception. But that’s where the chemistry between the two characters kicks in. In the end, “Fly Me to the Moon” only needs to sell one thing: that beneath Kelly and Cole’s fast-paced dialogue and combative flirtation, there exists a mutual attraction compelling enough to keep us guessing. We already know how the lunar mission turns out, but never tire of gazing upon stars such as these.
Reviewed at Regal Sherman Oaks Galleria, Los Angeles, July 5, 2024. MPA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 132 MIN.
- Production: A Columbia Pictures release of an Apple Original Films presentation of a These Pictures production. Producers: Jonathan Lia, Scarlett Johansson, Keenan Flynn, Sarah Schechter. Executive producer: Robert J. Dohrmann.
- Crew: Director: Greg Berlanti. Screenplay: Rose Gilroy; story: Keenan Flynn & Bill Kirstein. Camera: Dariusz Wolski. Editor: Harry Jierjian. Music: Daniel Pemberton.
- With: Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Jim Rash, Anna Garcia, Donald Elise Watkins, Noah Robbins, Colin Woodell, Christian Zuber, Nick Dillenburg, Ray Romano, Woody Harrelson.
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Fly Me to the Moon Reviews
It’s that thing you want and think we can’t have: entertainment with brains, a comedy with surprise, a love story with guts.
Full Review | Original Score: A- | Nov 29, 2024
‘…a very old-fashioned film, but all the better for keeping things light…plays out in an endearingly silly way, but it’s chipper, personable quality says something good about Johansson and the way she sees her responsibility to entertain her audience…’
Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 19, 2024
Much of its innate charm and goodwill gets whittled down the longer it goes.
Full Review | Original Score: B- | Nov 18, 2024
The movie’s production values are outstanding, especially the cars and costumes. To top it all off, there’s an enjoyable alley cat that has a key role to play in this historical adventure. “Fly Me To The Moon” is a pleasant, summer moviegoing diversion.
Full Review | Oct 10, 2024
The chemistry between the leads needs a little work, especially on Tatum’s side.
Full Review | Original Score: 4/10 | Oct 8, 2024
Overall, Fly Me to the Moon is far from being the best movie of the year. However, it is still enjoyable, especially for those in the audience who have a particular interest in the Space Race.
Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 14, 2024
Special nod to Greg Berlanti for injecting the film with a lot of heart. I wasn’t surprised by how good Johansson and Tatum were. I wasn’t surprised by how witty and light the jokes were. It’s the film being so moving that hit me sideways.
Full Review | Aug 19, 2024
Its premise about a staged moon landing often benefits from palpable chemistry between Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, but its uneven pace stumbles into platitudes that suspend the romantic comedy in predictable situations. [Full review in Spanish]
Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Aug 19, 2024
Sweet and charming.
Full Review | Aug 15, 2024
Berlanti proves himself in comedy and embraces with conviction the themes of the sixties romcom: a sugary and colorful war of the sexes a la Rock Hudson and Doris Day sieved through the 'Mad Men' filter... [Full review in Spansih]
Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 8, 2024
While it's unable to steer its romantically predetermined components into any real semblance of authenticity, Fly Me to the Moon finds Scarlett Johansson in top form as a fascinating woman deserving of a more satisfying outcome.
Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Aug 7, 2024
It's not a great movie...it’s half-baked both as a breezy romantic comedy and as a stirring patriotic ode...but I appreciate how it understands the fundamental distrust toward manipulation that sits at the heart of conspiracy thinking.
Full Review | Aug 6, 2024
Despite leaving its love affair on the launch pad, this sassy NASA romcom fulfils its mission to entertain.
Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 5, 2024
No work of art exists separate to the zeitgeist, but Fly Me to the Moon is hoping its romantic escapism will do the trick. Unfortunately, Rose Gilroy’s... script and Greg Berlanti’s solid directorial work are faded relics of a faded empire.
Full Review | Aug 5, 2024
Fly Me To The Moon is silly and sassy, snappy and jazzy. It plays hard and fast with the truth, but somehow manages to squeeze some heart in among its paint-by-numbers characters
Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 4, 2024
The space rom-com with Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum doesn’t know what it wants to be.
Full Review | Aug 3, 2024
There’s enough that works with “Fly Me to the Moon” that one gets annoyed that more of it misfires. It’s one vehicle that could have spent more time being re-engineered before being sent out to the launchpad.
Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Aug 2, 2024
How is it possible that ScarJo and Tatum, two of the sexiest earthlings, have so little chemistry in the retro romcom Fly Me To The Moon?
Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 31, 2024
Scarlett Johansson sparkles and shines.
Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Jul 30, 2024
Unfortunately, Fly Me To the Moon does not stick to its own advice and is overloaded with narrative threads. [Full review in Spanish]
Full Review | Jul 30, 2024
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Shortly after 2001: A Space Odyssey , Stanley Kubrick made his masterpiece: a faked moon landing, shot on a film set in 1969, and thereafter taken for real. So goes the urban legend, anyway. In our current age of rampant conspiracy theories, the idea that Nasa cooked up the giant leap for mankind can seem harmlessly wacky: quaint enough for a plot point in pin-bright romantic comedy Fly Me to the Moon .
Reimagining the launch of Apollo 11, the movie involves the star power of Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, and many colourful layers of nostalgia, arranged over a gleaming modern core. For that, thank the backers. The film was supported from an early stage by Apple, who seem to have become a Hollywood studio by accident. (The reported price tag was more than $100mn.) A chipper and spotless hymn to technology, you sense it might be the closest thing yet to what the company feels a film should be.
The first fond callback is to the heyday of the American space age. Hippiedom is invisible. Instead, in Florida, Nasa is readying for take-off under straight-arrow launch director Cole Davis (Tatum). Meanwhile, Manhattan plays host to marketing genius Kelly Jones, played by Johansson like Mad Men ’s Don Draper reborn in the teetering heels of Marilyn Monroe.
Like Mad Men , part of the pitch here is the parade of actors in pristine 1960s costume. You don’t need a big screen for that, and indeed, Fly Me to the Moon was first destined for Apple TV+. (Even now, it looks made to showcase the screen resolution of the latest MacBook Pro.) A cinema release was reportedly triggered by dazzled test audiences, a neat coincidence for a film in which Jones is hired to magic up public interest for the mission, to Davis’s high-minded distaste.
Despite them having the simmering hots for each other, a bickering cold war ensues. Another nostalgia button is duly pushed. The whole thing is a tribute to the romcoms of a time before the phrase had been invented, the powder-pink era of Doris Day. The execution is nimble: Johansson larky, Tatum riffing on his dough-ball persona. Still, call it lucky that this kind of prim confection requires no actual sexual chemistry. The spark between the stars suggests only a firm handshake.
Then again, director Greg Berlanti gives them such a workload, how would they have time for more? For all the brisk and frisky bearing, the movie runs well over two hours, the script stuffed with artful winks to endless connections between then and now. Sometimes, the story is about a fractious and divided America; sometimes the eurekas of product placement and live-streaming. Finally, the plot lassos in the Kubrick conspiracy theory, with the great director given a flamboyant proxy.
But amid the horseplay, the movie also adopts an earnest expression to decry the perils of techno fakery. Which brings us to the Apple of it all. One knowing line looks happily ahead to distant 1984. In a movie about branding, so specific a reference seems telling: that was the year the company ran Ridley Scott’s famous ad in which a coming dystopia was averted only through the Macintosh PC.
Now, with Nvidia and Microsoft having raced ahead in the AI gold rush, could it be that a nostalgic Apple is once more giving us a warning? After all, on Earth as in the heavens, the future needs to be in the right hands.
In UK and US cinemas from July 12
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