A callback to classic Hollywood rom-coms, Fly Me To The Moon is charming and fun as it explores one of the greatest moments in American history, the Apollo 11 mission.
Fly Me To The Moon Review
With the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch coming up on July 16, director Greg Berlanti's Fly Me To The Moon is landing just in time to give a sweet date night option at the box office. While Inside Out 2 and Despicable Me 4 continue to dominate and with big action flicks like Deadpool and Wolverine coming soon, this romantic comedy offers something different for moviegoers. Admittedly, a boring metallic military bunker on the coast of Florida might not sound like an ideal setting for love but it won't take long for Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum to change your mind.
Fly Me To The Moon is charming and a lot of fun. The film soars above its shortcomings–mainly the runtime and the undercooked reveal of the fake moon landing plot's impact on the leads– to deliver a classic Hollywood rom-com with plenty of laughs and heart. Amongst the sequels and IPs, Berlanti and first-time feature screenwriter Rose Gilroy (Keenan Flynn and Bill Kirstein receive “Story by” credits) have put together an original story that is witty, cheery, with a fresh approach to genre tropes. It's not perfect but I truly enjoyed it plus it made sitting in NATO Summit traffic to get to my screening worth it. Is there a more DC line of praise in a film critique?
It's 1969 and a lot of Americans are over the space race after the tragic real-life Apollo 1 fire. NASA needs funding and the best way to get that is to once again capture the hearts and minds of the nation. What they need is a good PR agent. Enter Kelly Jones (Johansson), a marketing whiz who is brought to the Kennedy Space Center by secret government agent Moe Berkus (Woody Harrelson). Her stretching of truths and general demeanor clash instantly with the serious, former pilot, Apollo 11 project lead Cole Davis (Tatum). As the two inevitably become closer, Berkus throws a wrench in everything when he tells Kelly he wants her to ensure the landing is successful but staging a fake one. It may be his way to keep America looking great but it's also insulting to the real efforts put in by NASA’s astronauts and engineers to make it to the moon. This would be a laughable turn of events if not for the fact it's borrowing from real-life conspiracy theories. And this is what makes Fly Me to the Moon special in a genre where things can easily become stale if not handled correctly.
The foundation of any good romantic comedy is the relationship between the unlikely couple. Johansson and Tatum have sizzling chemistry that is apparent from their meet cute and every moment after. He's grouchy, she's energetic. He plays by the rules, she bends them whenever it suits her needs. When we first meet Kelly she dynamically enters a room full of corporate men and quickly puts them in their place. She's clever, alluring, and oh-so mischievous. Cole on the other hand is serious, rigid, and stuck in the past. Despite being the boring one, Tatum makes Cole likable and endearing. Together they are your new BookTok “it” couple.
Johansson is endlessly amazing as she transforms into the different roles Kelly must play. She is allowed to lean into her comedic talents and we love to see it. I hope she gets more opportunities to do so in the future. Tatum retains his leading man qualities but tones down his normal golden retriever energy to be more of a black cat, which is another win for the film. Not to be outdone, the supporting cast equally elevates the entire endeavor, with one in particular stealing every scene he is in. Harrelson does what he does best, acting as a slightly mysterious, gruff, kind(ish) guy who is there to help the protagonist or maybe not. Depends on his mood.
Ray Romano's Henry Smalls (Cole's second-in-command) as well as Anna Garcia's Ruby (Kelly's assistant) add heart and soul to the story with their relationships to the leads. But it's Jim Rash's eccentric, tortured genius director Lance Vespertine, who is hired to stage the fake moon landing. This is the character that garnered the most laughs during my viewing. Lance makes Dean Pelton look restrained. His body language, facial expressions, and sardonic quips are some of my favorite parts of the entire film. Just know whenever Rash appears on screen you are in for a massively entertaining treat.
Ensemble cast aside, Fly Me To The Moon rises above other offerings in the genre thanks to its backdrop. Sure, the relationship aspect follows the predictable rom-com beats, but it all happens during a historically high stakes time in the middle of the Cold War. It also takes a “real” incident to fabricate the genre typical laughable plot twist. It's a lot to juggle in terms of plotlines and for the most part everything lands with a few exceptions. The most obvious being the relationship fallout from Project Artemis thanks to Kelly's involvement and subsequent lies/secrets. Sure Cole is upset but he never really seems to be that bothered for a man who prides himself on hard work and dedication to the job. However, thanks to the strong comedic timing of the cast, their delightful banter, and earnest performances, the limitations are easily forgivable.
Verdict
Fly Me to the Moon has charm, fun, and heart for days. It's a rom-com that takes standard tropes and shoots them into space (at times literally) to land something that is genuinely a great time at the movies. The cast is picture perfect with leads whose chemistry is so adorable even the most grumpy person in the theater will smile. Despite knowing the outcome, both in terms of the success of Apollo 11 as well as Cole and Kelly's relationship, I found myself fully invested in both events. Fly Me to the Moon has what it takes to become a genre classic and I hope it encourages Hollywood to take more chances on original films like it.
Fly Me to the Moon releases in theaters July 12. It is rated PG-13 for some strong language, and smoking with a runtime of 132 minutes.
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