The Pitch: In late 1968, Richard Nixon has just been elected President, and America’s excitement over the space race has begun to fade — unfortunately, just as NASA needs even more investment for its quest to finally reach the moon. So a shadowy fixer by the name of Moe Berkus (Woody Harrelson) hires advertising maven Kelly (Scarlett Johansson) to help sell the importance of Apollo 11 to the American public… much to the dismay of NASA launch director Cole (Channing Tatum), who just wants to make sure his astronauts get there and back safely.
Cole has no idea that Moe’s tasked Kelly with a secondary mission — not only is she doing her best to sell NASA to the people, but she’s helping to stage a “back-up” version of the Apollo 11 mission, to be filmed secretly on a soundstage just in case something should go wrong on the real mission. And while Kelly’s made a life out of lying, thanks to the feelings brewing between her and Cole, lying to him about this might be the toughest thing she’s ever done.
Berlanti Blasts Off: Fly Me to the Moon represents a bit of a throwback: A period-set romantic comedy with elements of farce and heist, featuring two massive movie stars playing unique characters falling in love with each other. It assembles all these things with a cheerful and sincere heart, one that sometimes veers a bit into cheese, but never in an overtly offensive way.
Director Greg Berlanti is less known for his movie work than he is for his television empire (he currently executive produces five different TV series airing in 2024, which is actually kind of low for him — he set a record in 2018 for EPing 18 different series at once). However, his prior films are all pretty in line with this one — affable rom-coms with an extra bit more, whether it be a coming-out/coming-of-age story (Love, Simon) or a narrative about grief (Life as We Know It).
With his fourth film, Berlanti proves pretty confident behind the camera, though the ambition here is larger. With a Mad Men-esque flair for glorying in the era’s brand names and culture (both Tang and smoking on airplanes are given prominent placement on screen), the 1960s gets perhaps a rosier treatment than that decade is due, though the nostalgia he brings to the space program is inspiring in its way.
Key to this is a pretty solid recreation of the entire Apollo 11 mission, from the assembly of the craft that would bring Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins to the moon, to the actual moonwalk itself. The credits feature plenty of NASA consultants, and there are many details that feel spot on — even while the more farcical elements of Kelly’s pageant take place in the background.
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Fly Me to the Moon (Sony/Apple)
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