Johansson and Tatum’s Megawatt Star Power Fuels Entertaining Fly Me to the Moon
When a shadowy government operative working for President Richard Nixon calling himself “Moe Berkus” (Woody Harrelson) offers Madison Avenue marketing superstar Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson) a job selling NASA’s upcoming mission to the moon to the American public, he doesn’t give her the option to decline. Soon the fast-talking con woman is speeding down to Florida’s Cape Kennedy along with her peppy, go-get-’em assistant Anna Garcia (Anna Garcia) to see what they can do to aid the project.
The big problem? Not hesitant U.S. Senators wanting to pull NASA’s funding. Not scientific setbacks that could put the July 1969 launch date of Apollo 11 in jeopardy. As dire as all of that is, it’s NASA launch director Cole Davis (Channing Tatum) who puts up the biggest roadblocks to all of Kelly’s plans to raise awareness and, more importantly, money for the Apollo program. The former military fighter pilot disapproves of her duplicitous methods, no matter how successful some of them undeniably are.
Fly Me to the Moon is just plain lovely. A star-driven Hollywood romcom reminiscent of the 1957 Spencer Tracy-Katharine Hepburn hit Desk Set, this is an enjoyable burst of historical fiction with a delightfully energetic jolt of conspiracy theory nuttiness thrown in for good measure. Along with Johansson, Tatum, and Harrelson, the eclectic ensemble is a talent gold mine that includes Garcia, Jim Rash, Christian Clemenson, Donald Elise Watkins, Noah Robbins, and pitch-perfect Ray Romano, all of whom make a memorable imprint on the proceedings, frequently more than one.
The idea contained in the original story dreamt up by Keenan Flynn and Bill Kirstein is a good one, and the confidently intelligent screenplay crafted by Rose Gilroy only improves upon it. Dialogue is charmingly witty. Plot progressions are smoothly handled and dramatically self-assured. The majority of the core emotions sitting at the center of these monumental, life-changing events are captivatingly genuine. Even the sillier twists and turns have a heartfelt authenticity I couldn’t ignore, and with everything building to the Apollo 11 moon landing, there are even a handful of invigorating thrills to be found along the way to the film’s admittedly foregone resolution.
Director Greg Berlanti has no problem orchestrating everything from behind the camera. From his handling of 2018’s Love, Simon, to his television producing duties on everything from Riverdale to Supergirl to Everwood to Dawson’s Creek, the filmmaker is no stranger to mixing melodrama, romance, action, and comedy into an audience-friendly mélange. Here, Berlanti seamlessly fuses historical footage of the actual Apollo 11 mission with these fictional interactions between Kelly, Cole, and Moe. With a gigantic assist from veteran cinematographer Dariusz Wolski (News of the World), editor Harry Jierjian (Moonshot), and production designer Shane Valentino (The Trial of the Chicago 7), he does so beautifully.
I think what I like most about this picture is that it is basically a two-people-who-are-very-good-at-their-jobs-but-from-different-worlds-who-fall-in-love-anyway movie, and there’s something comforting about that. Cole may run a tight ship and he might refuse to tell even the whitest of lies, but he’s still beloved by everyone at NASA no matter who they are or what position they have. Kelly might bend the rules and is deft at utilizing sex appeal and subterfuge to get what she’s after, but she also has a good heart, cares deeply about those she works with, and likes to think that, even if her actions could be construed as nefarious, she always puts her clients’ (and in this case the American public’s) best interests above her own.
Of course, it’s because both individuals are so adept at getting things done that Moe decides he should have Kelly prepare an alternate (i.e. “staged”) moon landing on the off chance something goes wrong with Apollo 11 after it lifts off from Cape Kennedy. He also knows Cole and everyone else at NASA can’t have even the faintest clue as to what he’s tasked her to do.
This additional bit of tension is purposefully trivial, not to mention the sitcom contrivances involved in these goofy clandestine shenanigans are like something out of a high-concept 1980s teen comedy (Real Genius and Short Circuit both come to mind). That this twist in the action works as well as it does is a testament to the committed performances from the actors, most notably Rash’s as egotistically eccentric commercial director Lance Vespertine. Channeling his inner Harvey Fierstein, his performance is so campily devilish he comes close to walking away with the entire film, the scenes where he’s trying to transform a trio of Secret Service agents into serviceable actors who can successfully mimic Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins suitably outrageous.
At well over two hours, there are a handful of dry spells, and while I appreciate that Berlanti doesn’t want to rush through things, there were moments where I did wish he’d pick up the pace. But Johansson hasn’t been this loose in ages. More importantly, she looks like she’s having a blast breathing life into Kelly (and looks incredible in the collection of frocks and sportswear immaculately imagined by four-time Oscar nominee Mary Zophres while doing it). She and Tatum are a magnetic team, an entire aeronautic sojourn where their characters briefly leave Florida to schmooze a Georgia Senator movie magic at its finest.
As it mixes so much fact into its fantasy, there aren’t any surprises as to where everything is headed, and that’s okay. Fly Me to the Moon achieves liftoff through sharp direction, clever screenwriting, and good, old-fashioned megawatt celluloid star power. I liked this one a lot.
Film Rating: 3 (out of 4)
