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There is something charming, even enchanting, about Greg Berlanti’sFly Me to the Moon.For one, the film is set in an era that looks to the stars as the last great exploration with unlimited possibilities. With the help of Shane Valentino’s production design, Lauren Rosenbloom’s art direction, and Mary Zophres’s costume design, Berlanti’s film drops the audience into another time and place.
The other is the relative newcomer Rose Gilroy’s script, an utterly delightful exercise in romantic nostalgia. Along with two lovely performances by Fly Me to the Moon’s leads, Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum (and a scene-stealing comic gem fromCommunity’sJim Rash), this makes for the type of old-fashioned escapism Hollywood tends to shy away from nowadays.
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Fly Me to the MoonReview and Synopsis
Fly Me to the Moon is set during the 1960s space race between the United States and the Soviet Union. To ensure the United States wins, a black hat named Moe (Woody Harrelson) has a plan. He recruits a brilliant and talented ad executive, Kelly Jones (Academy Award nomineeScarlett Johansson), to help bring attention and, in turn, money and support to the program.
This includes wristwatches, soft drinks, and even official underwear for the astronauts to wear as they race into the heavens. Yes, these methods are unconventional, especially for Cole Davis (Channing Tatum), the NASA director in charge of the Apollo 11 launch. Sparks begin to fly between them, but when Moe asks Kelly to stage a fake backup Moon landing, their connection is tested.
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Fly Me to the Moon is a Delightful Throwback
Greg Berlanti‘s (Love, Simon) has a little bit of everything. It’sMad MenmeetsWag the Dogwith a dash ofDown with Love(a very underrated movie you should check out). The film is a classic throwback, where the fiercely independent and outgoing female character shakes up a straight-laced male. Of course, he has a haunted past, another classic cliche.
The movie can be lightly funny, even sweet, and constantly engaging. Much of that should be credited to the film’s stars, with Tatum andJohanssonshowing terrific chemistry. Naturally, when you look like these two, it’s impossible not to spark flames on the screen. However, their romance is old-fashioned and falls into familiar tropes.
You care about the characters so much that it’s barely objectionable. Gilroy’s (The Edge of Sleep)script, working with a story from Keenan Flynn (Just Cause) and Bill Kirstein (Beyoncé Feat. Blue Ivy: Blue), is very clever. Especially in how Johansson andHarrelson’scharacters incorporate the conspiracy theory of a “fake” Moon landing in the third act. That is where Rash’s comic gifts come in, though, strangely, Ray Romano has very few comedic lines throughout the picture.
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IsFly Me to the MoonWorth Watching?
Fly Me to the Moonis worth watching despite the film being a good 15 to 30 minutes too long, with at least two montages that could have been left on the cutting room floor. While the crowd at the early screening enjoyed the glib romantic tension between Tatum and Johansson, which I’ll admit I was not immune to, the jokes tend to be a tad repetitive and do not land as they should.
Still, it’s nearly impossible not to be smitten with it and Gilroy’s script. Yes,Fly Me to the Moonveers away from the decisive events of that period’s decade. For example, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and racial divides were rampant throughout the country. However, the light, breezy, and thoroughly charming approach is welcomed here, with a singular focus to delight and inspire.
Frankly, we could use more of that nowadays.
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You can watch Fly Me to the Moon only in theaters on July 12th.
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M.N. Miller
Film & Television Critic
Articles Published :336
M.N. Miller is a film and television critic and a proud member of the Las Vegas Film Critic Society, Critics Choice Association, and a 🍅 Rotten Tomatoes/Tomato meter approved. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Mansfield University and a Master’s from Chamberlain University. However, he still puts on his pants one leg at a time, and that’s when he usually stumbles over. When not writing about film or television, he patiently waits for the next Pearl Jam album and chooses to pass the time by scratching his wife’s back on Sunday afternoons while she watches endless reruns of California Dreams. M.N. Miller was proclaimed the smartest reviewer alive by actor Jason Isaacs but chose to ignore his obvious sarcasm. You can also find his work on Hidden Remote, InSession Film, Ready Steady Cut, Geek Vibes Nation, and Nerd Alert.
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Channing TatumFly Me to the MoonScarlett Johansson
