Film Review: ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ is a Pleasing Mix of Comedy, Drama, and Old Fashioned Star Power

They don’t quite make em like this anymore. Once upon a time, this kind of picture would have starred Rock Hudson and Doris Day, or Cary Grant (or Gregory Peck) and Audrey Hepburn. Fly Me to the Moon is the kind of dramedy/romantic comedy that has brains in addition to heart. Are parts of it on the silly side? Sure. At the same time, there’s a deep respect and admiration for the Apollo space program that helps to set it apart. A crowd pleasing experience with major star power, it’s on the longer side, but leaves you with a lovely feeling by the end.

Fly Me to the Moon is a throwback film, in a number of ways. There’s a screwball element to this movie that we just rarely see. If it sounds like the flick is a lot of different things, that’s very much the case, but despite overstaying its welcome, the elements all work, by and large. The serious elements are as effective as the comedic ones, anchored by a pair or real charismatic performances from Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum.

In the lead up to the Apollo 11 mission, NASA is struggling with financing and public perception of the space program. So, shadowy government figure Moe Berkus (Woody Harrelson) brings in marking expert Kelly Jones (Johansson) to get people, as well as politicians, excited about going to the moon. Of course, her smooth Madison Avenue ways immediately rub up against no nonsense launch director Cole Davis (Tatum), who’s haunted by the Apollo 1 disaster.

An unlikely team, they begin to grow close, both personally and professionally. However, as the Apollo 11 mission is deemed to important to potentially fail, Moe orders Kelly to prepare a fake moon landing, hidden from Cole. Recruiting director Lance Vespertine (Jim Rash), she sets it up. Of course, the more taken she is by Cole, the more Kelly doubts the subterfuge. It all leads to a tense moment where the mission is in progress, while the fake landing is being filmed.

Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum bring some real charm as well as star power to the picture. They have nice chemistry, both characters are enjoyable on their own, but better when together. These are movie stars in the true sense of the word, elevating the work. Jim Rash is a delight too, playing a real wild filmmaker, leading to some of the film’s funniest moments. Woody Harrlelson’s character is a bit unnecessary, but he’s having a good time, for sure. Supporting players here include Anna Garcia, Ray Romano, and many more.

Director Greg Berlanti has an affable filmmaking style, even if he allows the movie to become fairly bloated. The screenplay by Rose Gilroy (with a Story By credit going to Keenan Flynn and Bill Kirstein) is hardly historically accurate, but does have a nice sense of period detail. Aside from the running time being at least twenty minutes too long, a recurring gag with a black cat is not just too silly, but has an obvious resolution. That being said, Berlanti does come alive when the Apollo 11 mission launches. That’s the best part of the movie, by far.

Fly Me to the Moon would have been fine on streaming, but it’s always better when something like this comes to theaters. Ironically, it’s the type of film that would have played forever on cable. That likely won’t be the case, given its ultimate home on Apple TV+, but all the same, this is a crowdpleaser. If you love a smart romcom, you’ll eat this one up.

SCORE: ★★★