Fly Me to the Moon

 

Score:  B+

Directed by Greg Berlanti

Starring Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Woody Harrelson

Running time: 132 minutes

Rated PG-13

Long Story Short:  Greg Berlanti (producer behind everything from Dawson's Creek to my favorite CW superhero series) directs an intriguing rom-com, mixing fact and fiction in the time of the moon landing.  Johansson and the supporting cast are great but Tatum is awful, and the movie has sharp writing, humor, and design.  It just lacks a genuine "spark" to truly lift off into the upper echelon.  Still, a worthwhile, change-of-pace summer visit to the movie theater.

The great Space Race of the 1950s and 60s kicks off with great excitement and apprehension.  Yet, when America finally closes in on President Kennedy's vision of putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade, the country's interest has waned.  Apollo 11 mission launch director Cole (Tatum) is hard at work in Florida, working on the rocket and training with the astronauts, but he struggles with tightening budgets.  So the government calls in saleswoman/conwoman extraordinaire, Kelly (Johansson), to bring back buzz, attention - and most importantly, dollars - for the moon landing mission.  Cole and Kelly appear to be polar opposites, but the country depends on their magnetism to achieve a spectacular success.

Fly Me to the Moon is a fun, well-made rom-com despite its odd conglomeration of parts; still, it could have been even better, perhaps a classic, except for some key shortcomings.  The movie has three main distinct, though intertwined, components: romance (Cole and Kelly), historical (based pretty closely on Apollo 11 preparations), and "Hollywood" (filming a fake moon landing).  It was a tall task, considering the different tones needed for each part - but it pulls off the balance impressively.  The "rom" is more restrained, focusing more on "com" and the plots, both historical and Hollywood.  Scarlett Johansson is fantastic as the lead, easily the main character draw in the film.  She is charismatic and clever, a little ruthless and self-centered but very sympathetic.  Tatum, on the other hand, is just... not good.  I've never thought much of him, but it's painfully obvious here how out of his depth he is.  The movie could have been much better with a different actor.  The supporting cast is great, adding a significant boost to all elements of the film, from Harrelson's devious agent to Garcia as Kelly's partner, to Cole's various co-workers (young, charmingly naive engineers, as well as his old partner played by Ray Romano, etc.). Johansson's husband (SNL's Colin Jost) even gets a hilarious cameo!

The comedy is excellent, as is the dialogue and writing, but there is a glaring vacuum where there should be a strong emotional investment.  Once again, the cast does a great job with the comedy.  Johansson is superb here as she is in her overall performance, and Harrelson was made for his role - even Tatum manages some good laughs.  But it's Kelly's film director friend, played by Jim Rash, who is the comedy MVP.  The writing feels very natural, crisp, and understated, in a movie that was ripe for florid overwriting or on-the-nose dreck; each scene is well done and fits together nicely.  Unfortunately, while it's easy to admire the skill of (most) of the actors, writing, set design, directing, and so on... it just can't seem to find that one, strong connection to really pull in the audience.  The romance is fine but hampered by Tatum's acting; even the plot also lacks a spark to truly pull you in, to fully invest the audience like the best movies do.  It's also too long, mostly due to a drawn out conclusion.  Those involved should be proud of their accomplishments here, but no need to take too long a victory lap.

***

Fly Me to the Moon is much different from the kind of movies I usually see in the summer - but that was one of the main reasons I wanted to see it.  I find that good variety is key to my enjoying movies of all kinds.  I advise you pay closer attention to the audience score on Rotten Tomatoes (91%) than the critics' score (65%) for this movie.  Is it a classic?  No - but it is well worth seeing in the theater, particularly since so few of its genre are shown in theaters at all anymore, let alone in the summer.  It is a shame that it's so far flopped at the box office.  Casting Tatum was an avoidable error, but I don't blame the movie for lacking the "spark"; it's there or it's not, you can't control it.  Everything else that could be controlled - from the performances to writing to directing - is finely done.  Next up for me is another sharp turn: Deadpool & Wolverine, here we come - Marvel is finally back!

* By Columbia Pictures/ Apple Original Films - http://www.impawards.com/2024/fly_me_to_the_moon.html#google_vignette, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76870601