#REVIEW: “FLY ME TO THE MOON”

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson) is a marketing executive from New York City at the top of her game. She gets recruited by Moe Berkus (Woody Harrelson) who works under Nixon‘s White House to convince Congress and the public that NASA can pull off the Apollo 11 moon landing. When she arrives she meets reluctant Cole Davis (Channing Tatum) who’s running the mission. He doesn’t want this dangerous mission to become a marketing ploy. Yet, that’s the only way NASA is going to get the funding needed from the government. Although they have opposite viewpoints, Kelly and Cole soon find themselves falling for each other.

Fly Me to the Moon is a mix of period piece and something fictional. It’s a period piece as it depicts that monumental moment in history when Neil Armstrong, Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin, and Michael Collins landed on the moon. However, it’s woven in a story about a shady White House employee who wanted to have a film faking the moon landing — in case anything went wrong — to be broadcast rather than the actual film footage of the landing.

This makes for an interesting mix of reality and fiction while centering on a female marketing virtuoso in the ’60s. Johansson is great as a woman at the top of her field, a field primarily dominated by men, especially during that time. Rose Gilroy’s Script gives us a fresh look at this world by bringing us into the time through Kelly’s eyes. Additionally, Johansson brings a charming snark to Kelly that makes it easy to root for her…even if what she’s doing is questionable.

The Film is being marketed as a Romantic-Comedy, however, there isn’t much Comedy to be found really. Rather, the marketing schemes and the stress carried by those working at NASA get a lot of the spotlight. Especially when it comes to Cole, who believes he’s responsible for what happened on Apollo 1. Tatum is at his strongest in moments where he’s reminded of the astronauts’ lives lost on that mission.

When we aren’t focused on the more dramatic aspects of the Script, we are brought into the romantic storyline between Kelly and Cole. Johansson and Tatum have an easy chemistry that makes us want their characters to put their differences aside and see how good they are for each other. We just wish there was more balance on the Comedy throughout.

Sony Pictures Canada release FLY ME TO THE MOON on Friday, July 12, 2024.