Fly Me to the Moon
The caliber of romantic comedy prowess on display in Fly Me to the Moon is such that, had it premiered in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing, it likely would have starred Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
But that it arrives just in time to commemorate the mission’s 55th anniversary, we’ve got Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, who make a strong case for modern-day rom-com royalty and would be wise to collaborate more often.
Cursed with posters that resemble the fake movies within movies that characters see at cinemas (e.g. Rochelle, Rochelle in Seinfeld), the latest feature from director Greg Berlanti (Love, Simon) is indeed real, and really good.
Overpowering that PR cheese is the entertaining tale of advertising exec Kelly Jones (Johansson) being recruited by Nixon fixer Moe Berkus (Woody Harrelson, channeling a subdued version of Glenn Howerton in BlackBerry) to sell NASA’s lunar trek to an American public that’s grown tired of the program’s expensive ways.
Once she’s in Florida with her bubbly assistant Ruby (Anna Garcia), Kelly injects her Madison Avenue know-how into this straight-laced group of Navy vets and fledgling but brilliant engineers, much to the disgust of flight commander Cole Davis (Tatum), who’d prefer to get his men to their destination without any razzle-dazzle.
This collision of values produces consistent yuks thanks to the charming leads and a zippy script by Rose Gilroy, making her feature screenwriting debut. And as Kelly wins over the nation and fence-sitting politicians with her witty campaigns, Fly Me to the Moon likewise rekindles sympathetic viewers’ interest in space — as well as space movies, recalling such greats as The Right Stuff, Apollo 13, and First Man.
Coursing throughout is a well-worn romantic subplot lacking many surprises, but with Johansson and Tatum carrying it out amidst an unusual backdrop, practically every line lands. Their winning chemistry reaches a peak in the film’s apex, in which Project Artemis — complete with amusing potshots at purported moon-landing faker Stanley Kubrick — and the Armstrong/Aldrin/Collins journey overlap in exhilarating fashion.
Mixed in are some surprisingly intelligent insights on the power of ideology, particularly during the Cold War, and how some fudging of the facts can benefit the greater good, albeit with some lingering sour taste. As interest again grows in returning to the moon and venturing beyond, revisiting such lessons becomes increasingly important — and if it’s a silly little rom-com that’s reviving them, all the better.
Grade: B-plus. Rated PG-13. Now playing at AMC River Hills 10, Carolina Cinemark, the Fine Arts Theatre, and Regal Biltmore Grande.
(Photo: AppleTV+)
