Will they make history... or fake it?
2024-07-10
$100.0M
132 min
Sparks fly in all directions as marketing maven Kelly Jones, brought in to fix NASA's public image, wreaks havoc on Apollo 11 launch director Cole Davis' already difficult task of putting a man on the moon. When the White House deems the mission too important to fail, Jones is directed to stage a fake moon landing as backup, and the countdown truly begins.
"Cole Davis" (Channing Tatum) is the launch director at Cape Canaveral and is charged with getting the Apollo 11 mission to the moon (and back!). Thing is, with the Vietnam war in full swing the public have rather lost interest in the space race with the USSR. Presidential adviser "Moe" (Woody Harrelson) hits on the idea of bringing in marketing specialist "Kelly" (Scarlett Johansson) to spruce things up and get the public - and the US Senate - more engaged with the project before it runs out of money and impetus. She's pushy and brassy and "Cole" hates her! Thing is, though, he also starts to realise that she's not half bad at the hoodwinking game and seems to be making some headway engaging sponsors and senators alike with the aspirations of Messrs. Armstrong and Aldrin to set foot in the Sea of Tranquility. With public interest piqued, "Moe" realises that the last thing they need is a flop, so he tells "Kelly" to create a moonscape and get in her favourite director - "Lance Vespertine" (Jim Rash doing his best Stanley Tucci) to essentially make their own, terrestrial, version of the landings that can be shown to the public should the worst case scenario actually occur. With her and "Cole" becoming closer and the launch date now imminent, it's soon clear that this isn't just a contingency plan - and that might finally present the unflappable "Kelly" with a moral dilemma she can't easily shrug off. What to do? It's quite entertaining, this, with Johansson clearly enjoying herself playing a myriad of parts within her character and there's a decent spark with the better than usual Tatum as the story swipes at politics (largely thanks to a playfully devious effort from Harrelson) and advertising whilst we learn that she is not quite the woman she seems to be. At times the writing is quite funny and the whole thing offers lunar conspiracy theorists (and the disbelieving Soviets) the perfect opportunity for the mother of wet dreams. There's plenty of rocket photography and though maybe just twenty minutes too long, this is one of Apple's better and more creative efforts. You just have to love that mischievous black cat at the end!
Not for me. I found <em>'Fly Me to the Moon'</em> to be a disappointment.
A sure sign of that being the case is that I don't have any positives for this movie. Well, OK, Scarlett Johansson is good, but there honestly isn't any other element to this that I can say I enjoyed. Johansson's co-star Channing Tatum feels miscast, I like the guy as an actor but here I didn't feel like he fit - visually his character didn't look or sound like someone out of the 1960s, in my eyes at least.
None of the support cast did anything for me either, though Woody Harrelson and Ray Romano are passable. Away from the cast, the story also didn't hold much interest for me. I feel like the moon landing bits, generally speaking, is all pretty standard and stuff we've seen before. The romance plot isn't merged in well, I didn't sense any chemistry between Johansson and Tatum. The music is also quite weak, almost TV-esque.
The run time is also too long, no way this 2024 flick needed to last over two hours! If I ignore all of that, then I guess I enjoyed it...
“Fly Me to the Moon” is so generic and sanitized that it feels like a blanket, sterilized television sitcom designed to appeal to the masses in middle America. Director Greg Berlanti‘s throwback romance has its moments, but even the chemistry between the leads a few flashes of creativity can’t save the overlong, draggy film.
Set against the backdrop of NASA’s historic Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969, former con artist Kelly (Scarlett Johansson) is hired by President Nixon’s clandestine staff member Moe (Woody Harrelson) to launch a marketing campaign on a mission that the White House has deemed too important to fail. Kelly has a huge job cut out for her, and her fiery personality, unconventional methods, and out-of-the-box ideas to fix the space agency’s public image wreaks havoc on the straight-laced launch director, Cole Davis (Channing Tatum). She’s in his way and is a major annoyance, but even Cole can’t deny the sparks that are flying whenever the two are in the same room.
The film works as a mid-level romantic comedy with Johansson and Tatum sharing an agreeable chemistry that, while not exactly electric, at least feels organic. Their playful banter and genuine affection shines, providing some of the film’s most enjoyable moments. It’s a classic odd couple pairing that adds much-needed comedic elements.
The script is messy and forgettable, with a lot of ineffective bids at humor. The most charming aspects are burdened by unnecessary subplots that detract from the main story, making the entire film feel far too long. Certain scenes drag on and on, especially when relying on clichés, predictable plot points, and tired tropes that fail to fully capitalize on the unique setting and wealth of historical context. So much more could’ve been done with this material in a much better way.
Although it provides some decent lighthearted entertainment, “Fly Me to the Moon” plays it so safe that it definitely falls short of its potential. It’s overstuffed and bland to a fault, struggling so mightily to be a crowd pleaser that it squanders most of the charm and authenticity that could have made it something truly special.
By: Louisa Moore / SCREEN ZEALOTS
