by Nick Ferro, Contributing Writer
Space. The final frontier. What? Hold on, I’m being informed that this is not a Star Trek review. Which is quite frankly wild, but I guess just because a movie is about a trek through the stars doesn’t mean it’s a Star Trek… Regardless, there is a new movie that focuses on space — the space race, in fact.
Back in the 1960s, President Kennedy promised that before the decade was out, we would put a man on the moon. And on July 20, 1969, we did just that (depending on who you talk to). I will not be debating the validity of the moon landing here, but what I will do is tell you about the new movie, Fly Me to the Moon, directed by Greg Berlanti, and starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, which takes the real life events of the Apollo 11 mission and creates a comedic fictional story to play on the conspiracy theories that it may have been faked.
Back in the late ‘60s, during the height of the Vietnam war, NASA is losing popularity and funding, and is in jeopardy of losing the space race with Russia. The Nixon administration decides that they need a win, so they hire an advertising woman from New York named Kelly Jones (Johansson) to, “sell America on going to the moon.” This kicks off the film’s premise, which is one part romantic comedy, one part quasi true story, and one part zany con artist story. Right off the bat, Johansson takes center stage as our protagonist that knows how to sell anyone anything. We meet her walking into the offices of the Ford Motor Company, eight months pregnant, and ready to convince three men who don’t want to give her the time of day why she can turn their sales of Mustangs around. And after sealing the deal and getting on the elevator, she hands her assistant the fake baby bump, lights up a cigarette, and heads back to the office to pull in more clients. This opening scene tells us everything we need to know about her for the foreseeable future. She is a quick talker, full of charm, and a doesn’t put up with BS.
Meanwhile, down in Florida, flight commander Cole Davis (Tatum) of NASA is called into a lab to detect a potential hydrogen leak. After kicking everyone out of the room for their own safety, he uses an old trick to find the leak and fix the problem (and only catching a little bit on fire). This is a no-nonsense man who cares for his people and his job, and we come to learn feels a great deal of responsibility for the Apollo 1 fire that claimed the lives of three astronauts. This is a very honest and by-the-book kind of guy, so his entire world is upended when the smooth-talking, truth-bending Kelly Jones arrives. She has been hired by a “company man” named Moe Berkus (Woody Harrelson) at the behest of President Nixon, to figure out a way to get NASA the funding needed to get to the moon. It takes her quite a while to turn things around for NASA, and just when she has, Moe springs on her an additional task: Secretly film a fake moon landing without anyone knowing just in case the real one doesn’t work out.
The standouts in the movie are all the fun character actors and side roles that show up. Harrelson is incredibly funny in every scene, especially towards the end when he is given more than a quick pop-in; however, he also plays menacing government stooge so well. In strict contrast to Harrelson is Ray Romano as Henry Smalls, a high-level NASA engineer working alongside Cole. Romano’s dry wit plays off of Tatum’s more boisterous moments, and they have great chemistry. He is incredibly subdued and subtle, but is perfect in this particular role. I also really liked the two rocket scientist technicians played by Noah Robbins and Donald Elise Watkins, who play the young, plucky, fresh-out-of-college, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed dopes who are easily duped by the ladies. It would have been just fine if that’s all they were, but they get plenty to do, from humor to playing a part in saving the day. All of the little roles are fun and iave off a sense that performers all really enjoyed working on this film. But the standout is Jim Rash as Lance Vespertine, the director of the fake moon landing set. I saw the movie in a half-full, small auditorium, but every time he spoke, it was killing the entire audience. We could not stop laughing at his outrageous comments and sassy sarcasm. It is like getting to see the Dean from Community one more time, only now he is brimming with confidence and attitude. I loved him, which isn’t really a stretch, because I have always loved him he fits so well in this role.
But this is a rom-com, so I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention our leads, their chemistry, and the overall appeal of the romantic elements of the film, right? Well, here is where I have trouble. I like both of Johansson and Tatum a lot. Tatum has really grown into a great comedic actor that still can turn the eyes for these romantic roles, and he definitely has both on full display here. He is also good for this role, if maybe a little too classically handsome, and I want to say young, but I suppose at 45 he’s not. But even at five years my senior, he still looks like he’s younger than me, so its off-putting. Johansson, although only a year older than me, also looks incredibly young, and I found it hard to buy her as the experienced con-artist turned advertising mogul. However, she nails this role and absolutely owns this movie. This is a great example of a female lead in a movie that commands the screen. Unfortunately, I always felt just a little off when these two are together. They have great chemistry, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it. If I had to best describe it, I would say I didn’t believe that she would be interested in him, and vice-versa
I really enjoyed Fly Me to the Moon from start to finish. If I had one major complaint, it would be the runtime. This is a four-act movie that only needed three. As the Apollo 11 rocket takes off and our characters watch in awe as it successfully soars into the sky, I was overcome with awe and excitement for a group of people coming together to achieve the impossible. I was quickly brought back to earth with the realization that there were another 20 to 30 minutes left of the movie. Save for the “required by law” obligatory final act fight that causes our two leads to be estranged, I wouldn’t change a second of the last 20 minutes. I really loved every second of the conflict that needed solving. It provides the most consistent laughs, and had me on the edge of my seat. But it is elongated by the need to make Tatum angry with Johansson for the role she plays in the events. Without spoiling it, what she does may be behind his back, but she comes clean when she doesn’t have to, and is strong-armed by the government. Cut a girl some slack! There is no reason he needed to be upset other than padding the runtime. You could still have your romantic kiss at the end, and it wouldn’t have changed a thing.
If I had to pick nits, I would say that the will-they-won’t-they nature of Cole and Kelly’s relationship is cute, but completely steamrolled by the extreme nature in which Cole reacts to her getting in his way. Throughout the movie, Kelly is bringing in news people and photographers, taking up the time of the rocket scientists and astronauts with interviews and photo shoots. And Cole is rightfully annoyed throughout. However, he gets so worked up that it feels like a different character who could never possibly fall in love with this person, regardless of looks. There are several scenes where he hates her, then they go on a date, then he hates her, then they have cute banter, then he hates her, then they are flying to see a senator and connecting on a personal level. I would have loved for Tatum to eventually dial back the irritation to a mild annoyance in order to sell that she is wearing him down with her charm as the movie progresses. But otherwise, that is it. I thoroughly enjoyed everything else about the movie.
Rating: Loved It
Fly Me to the Moon is currently playing in theaters
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