Fly Me to the Moon – Film Review

Director – Greg Berlanti
Writers – Keenan Flynn, Rose Gilroy, Bill Kirstein
Stars – Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Woody Harrelson

Set in 1969, we meet Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson), a hard-nosed advertising executive who will do anything to get ahead. Our other main protagonist is Cole Davis (Channing Tatum), an intense launch director at NASA in the lead-up to the moon landing. And when they met, it was murder….. well, not quite. It’s an unusual premise for a rom-com but this film has a few other elements, including a hint of conspiracy theory along with a few drops of a historical drama.

One of the main plot points is a conspiracy to fake the Apollo 11 moon landing. Under normal conditions, this would constitute a spoiler, other than it this is mentioned in every press release and in the trailer. In fact, if you plan to go to the film, I’d recommend you give the trailer a miss altogether as most of the plot is contained within it!

Scarlett Johansson is enjoyable as the chameleon Kelly Jones, as she recreates herself in every scene, trying to work it to her advantage. Channing Tatum plays Cole Davis a little too stiff for his own good, and it would have helped to give his character a bit more warmth. Woody Harrelson also has a minor role as Moe Berkus, a man who works ‘for the government’ in an undefined fixer role. His job description clearly includes Human Resources as he hires Kelly Jones in a bid to make America fall in love with the Space Race. Woody is always enjoyable and his smug grin remains intact throughout this performance. Jim Rash steals a few scenes as the hack director Lance Vespertine, commissioned to fake the moon landing!

This is director Greg Berlanti’s first film since Love, Simon (2018), the well-received story of a gay teenager. This is a step in another direction entirely, with a big-screen romance between established stars. If you’re looking for a challenging film that delves into global conspiracies, this is not it! It’s a lot closer to a rom-com than anything else but the trappings make it unconventional in the genre. It’s a light-hearted story with a clear focus on watching the two pretty people finding their way to true love.