To the Moon

So it was staged? Fly Me To The Moon is a sharp, stylish romantic comedy set against the high-stakes backdrop of NASA's historic Apollo 11 moon landing. Brought in to fix NASA's public image, sparks fly in all directions as marketing maven Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson) wreaks havoc on launch director Cole Davis's (Channing Tatum) already difficult task. When the White House deems the mission too important to fail, the countdown truly begins.

"Fly Me to the Moon" offers a fresh take on the Apollo 11 mission by focusing on its marketing aspect, a unique angle that I found quite intriguing. The film's fast pace kept me engaged throughout, which was a pleasant surprise. The cast delivered strong performances, with Scarlett Johansson standing out as incredibly witty and charming. While Channing Tatum's performance was solid, his character felt one-dimensional, making it hard to connect with him. The movie excels as a comedy, featuring well-crafted jokes and scenarios that the talented cast brings to life. Additionally, the unique choice of music added to the overall enjoyment of the film. The blend of historical context with a modern twist on marketing strategies was both educational and entertaining. Overall, "Fly Me to the Moon" is a must-watch for anyone looking for a good laugh and a new perspective on a well-known historical event.

Score:7.5/10.

When I saw the trailer for FLY ME TO THE MOON, I thought it looked like it would be fun, but I wasn't sure if it would be good. It is a movie taking place during the great space race of the 60s, where a shady government agent Moe (Woody Harrelson) hires the best marketing specialist Kelly (Scarlett Johansson) to publicize NASA to save their space program. She tries to work with the Apollo 11 launch director Cole (Channing Tatum), who is against the whole idea. The lines are blurred between acting and lying in this romance/comedy/political satire/historical drama. That's my main problem with this: it tries to be too many things, making the tone and pacing jarring for the audience. I didn't really feel the chemistry between the leads. I heard Chris Evans was going to be the lead. That would've been much better as him and "Scar-Jo" are good friends. Nothing against Channing, I just think he needed more to work with. It didn't feel like they were in the 60s: the costume designs were, but the way they spoke, not so much. Saying all of that, I still liked the fun ride. The side characters knew what kind of movie this was, especially Ray Romano and Jim Rash. The leads' backstories were good as well, even though I wish I had known a little earlier so I could have something to hang on to, character-wise. This was a perfectly charming crowd-pleaser that, to me, felt very much like a "studio-driven" movie. Original idea but somehow formulaic. FLY ME TO THE MOON is about how people will believe anything if Scarlett Johansson sells it to them. I still recommend seeing this "bit of fluff", as my uncle would say.

Fly Me to the Moon is a lovely throwback to the kind of films that are so rarely seen these days. Even though a lot of the film revolves around filming a fake version of the Moon landing this clearly loves Nasa and their achievements. It's a fun romantic comedy that moves between all the drama, comedy, and romance in a way that can sustain a run time that's slightly overly long.

Scarlett Johansson & Channing Tatum are a surprisingly strong pairing. Even when they're at odds or have completely fallen out, their chemistry is strong enough to make you root for them to end up together like they inevitably will and they're both given a good amount of depth to work with. Woody Harrelson uses his easygoing charm to be slightly sinister here and Jim Rash is very funny in a very broad fashion.

Greg Berlanti's direction has a nice amount of energy for the most part. There's plenty of split screen and the period setting gives it a lot more life in the visuals than most streaming films. It's just the Moon landing sequence itself that needed greater showmanship to match the reverence with which it's celebrated. Daniel Pemberton's score has a warmth to it that keeps proceedings as tonally on point as possible.

This movie is NOT generic. At all. If the premise of faking the mood landing is not in this movie than yes it's a pretty generic rom com but because that's the entire movie I don't get how this is generic.

If you have a beating heart and sense of humor this movie will charm you. ScarJo is throwing 100 mph in every scene. She's outstanding. This is a signature performance in her catalog and really fleshes out what makes her 1 of 1. One down side is that Channing Tatum is very good in the movie but he's not on her level and I don't think anyone would argue that. Her scenes with Jim Rash (sneaky MVP) are all time great. They have some magic I hope they do more work together. I've always been found of his performance in Community and his screen play The Way Way Back.

The other surprise for me was how great Woody and ScarJo are together. That was the secret sauce of the movie. Not just their acting chemistry but the idea of a Nixon enforcer and fixer battling with this con artist type advertising saleswoman is beautiful stuff. It's really breathtaking to witness.

The other part of this movie that provides some fun for all ages is the stuff with the cat in the movie. This is such a cute and realistic use of a cat who just lingers around an area getting in the way just in the smallest way.

"Fly Me to the Moon" is a surprisingly delightful romantic comedy that exceeds the typical expectations of the genre. It is quite difficult to find romantic comedies that score more than 7 out of 10, but this film stands out due to its high-quality production, well-crafted script, and, above all, the excellent performances by the cast. I was particularly impressed with Scarlett's performance; as always, she delivers a remarkable and nuanced portrayal.

The film does not advertise itself as being based on a true story, but while watching, you can't help but wonder if there's some grain of truth behind the hilarious and touching situations it presents. The way the plot unfolds makes you reflect on the complexities of lathe space race and Cold War , keeping you engaged from start to finish.

Overall, "Fly Me to the Moon" is a pleasant surprise in the realm of romantic comedies, offering the perfect blend of humor, emotion, and strong performances. It is definitely worth watching, especially for those looking for something more substantial than the typical genre clichés.