No, Fly Me to the Moon won’t change your life, but if you are looking for a reliable choice for a family movie night, it is certainly a nice option. 

Fly Me to the Moon stars Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum as the leads of this comedy set against the backdrop of the Space Race in 1969. The film is directed by Greg Berlanti, well-known for his role as a television producer and the director of the acclaimed LGBT teen film Love, Simon. It was written by Rose Gilroy and is her debut credit. The film also stars Ray Romano, Jim Rash, Anna Garcia, Donald Elise Watkins, Noah Robbins, Joe Chrest, acclaimed cinematographer (and cinematographer of Fly Me to the Moon) Dariusz Wolski, and Woody Harrelson. 

The film begins with a cute opening credits montage which recaps the Space Race for those who need a refresher. The Soviet Union and the United States were battling for dominion over the stars, an extension of a battle of ideologies. In 1962, JFK promised the United States would send astronauts to the moon. Flash forward to seven years later and NASA is underfunded as the Vietnam War is in full swing. Scarlett Johansson stars as Kelly Jones, a marketing executive in New York City, the best in the business. In our first scene with her, she works a trio of Ford executives into a tizzy, and they immediately champion the idea she pitched. All is good until Moe Berkus, an operative for President Nixon, gets her fired and forces her to use her marketing powers for NASA, which is in dire need of a marketing makeover. She and her assistant Ruby (Anna Garcia) head to Cape Canaveral, Florida to start their job. 

As Kelly is eating at a local diner, in comes the handsome but slightly awkward Cole Davis (Channing Tatum). After a “fiery” meet-cute, he gets the boldness to let her know she is the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. On Kelly’s first day of work, she finally meets the man-in-charge, the director of NASA, who turns out to be her recent admirer from the diner. Cole is upset when he learns that she is the “killer from Manhattan,” and escorts her to the smallest, trashiest office on site. He is determined to get her fired. He is a man of truth and fact, while she is all about perspective and allows white lies to help her accomplish her goals. As hijinks ensue, they learn to see each other’s point of view. 

Fly Me to the Moon provides us with a lovely reminder that Scarlett Johansson is such a movie star. She lit up the screen from the moment she appeared. She charms everyone she meets, and she bends reality to her will. She gets the most to do in the movie. From a shady background to using a variety of accents, it’s everything an actor could want. On the other hand, Cole’s background and trauma are slightly less centralized than Kelly’s. It’s less shrouded in mystery, but it remains unspoken for quite some time. As for Tatum, it’s believable that he’s an excellent military pilot turned director of NASA, although it was a little hard to believe that he is awkward around women. He lacks an inherent dorkiness that would suit Cole Davis a little better. Overall, I was satisfied with his performance as well. 

Unfortunately, the film suffers from a bit of an identity crisis. The creative team should have decided early on what they wanted this film to be. Is it an enemies-to-lovers rom-com or a workplace comedy about NASA trying to get public funding and approval for Apollo 13 to launch? For a film marketing itself as a romantic comedy, I couldn’t help but leave the theater wishing I had more of it. What we are given isn’t bad by any means, and Johansson and Tatum have cute chemistry together, but I wish there was more romance, more tension, more desire! We end up getting so caught up in the shenanigans that the romance takes a backseat. Thankfully Johansson and Tatum’s charm picks up the slack. If the goal of the film is the second option, then there is too much emphasis on Kelly and Cole’s relationship, and it should’ve been left as a bit that’s revisited throughout the runtime. Instead, Fly Me to the Moon keeps a foot in both lanes. Choosing one way or the other would have improved the film.  

Considering the quality of the production, and since it’s produced by Apple Studios, there is clearly a hefty amount of money behind the film. There were moments when I couldn’t tell if some of the NASA launch was real footage or special effects. The production design looked awesome, especially the fake moon landing set and the NASA control room. However, it seems like all the costume money went toward the astronauts and Kelly’s outfits because poor Cole seemed to be forgotten about. 

One thing that has been bugging me is that the trailer revealed that Moe wants Kelly to get a team together to fake the moon landing because losing to the Soviet Union is not an option. For what is shown so prominently in the trailer, it takes quite some time to reach the scene in the film. If this hadn’t been spoiled in the trailer, this plot twist would have been such a shot of adrenaline since this section of the film raises the stakes so greatly, especially between Kelly and Cole. It seems Apple did not trust that audiences wouldn’t come to theaters without it already being revealed. Kelly Jones would’ve known that keeping it secret was the correct move. 

All that to say, Fly Me to the Moon is a pleasant film. It was clearly adored by the older audience in the theater with me based on the laughs. It is a solid film for Apple Studios to add to its arsenal of movies on its streaming service and a step up from its previous theatrical release. It was competently made, and I enjoyed it. No, Fly Me to the Moon won’t change your life, but if you are looking for a reliable choice for a family movie night, it is certainly a nice option. 

Grade: B-

Oscars Prospects:
Likely: None
Should be Considered: None

Where to Watch: In Theaters