Reaching for the Stars: ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ Soars but Falls Short

As a film critic, I’ve had the privilege of reviewing movies for over a decade, but I can safely say that ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ is the first romantic comedy I’ve ever seen themed around the 1960s NASA space race. This weird, somewhat wonderful film is a constellation of genres smashed together in an unexpected way. It’s a love story, science thriller, and period comedy all at once, but really, it’s just a wacky take on the Apollo 11 mission with a vague romance between two celebrity stars.

‘Truth is still the truth even if nobody believes it. And a lie is still a lie if everyone believes it.’ - Kelly Jones

Historical Fiction in Space

The film is an alternate history of NASA in 1969, especially between two frenemies: new marketing specialist Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson) and mission launch director Cole (Channing Tatum). The main plot is Kelly and Cole reluctantly working together to get the last push of funding from congress to finish the moon mission. Where ‘Fly Me’ flies off in the wrong direction, however, is its substantial subplot focused on - brace yourself - NASA filming a faked version of the moon landing. This is a tall order asking audiences to take the story seriously, especially with the added layer of fictional conspiracy theories.

Charming Leads and a Moral Message

Johansson and Tatum are thoroughly charming as leads, and they’re surrounded by an earnest and often funny supporting cast, especially with the scene-stealing Jim Rash as diva director Lance Vespertine and Anna Garcia as assistant Ruby. I also really liked the moral message of the story, as Kelly shares with Cole after a successful project: ‘Truth is still the truth even if nobody believes it. And a lie is still a lie if everyone believes it.’ With high stakes like keeping astronauts safe and having a public maintain their trust in science, that’s an important principle to understand.

Apollo 11 Mission control room.

A Shallow but Enjoyable Ride

Sadly, most of the best moments and twists were spoiled in the film’s trailer, but there are a few scenes of sincere, smart editing that make ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ enjoyable. That holds true even if it’s a bit shallow. Maybe if the plot had stayed a bit closer to Earth and less in Hollywood’s space case mind hive, mission control could’ve kept a bit more of just that: control.

Rating: 6 out of 10

Directed by Greg Berlanti, ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ is a sci-fi comedy romance drama rated PG, with a runtime of 2 hours 12 minutes. Starring Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Woody Harrelson, Jim Rash, Anna Garcia, and Ray Romano.