To the moon, Scarlett! (CREDIT: Dan McFadden/Columbia Pictures)
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Jim Rash, Ray Romano, Woody Harrelson, Anna Garcia, Donald Elise Watkins, Noah Robbins, Colin Wooddell, Christian Zuber, Nick Dillenburg, Joe Chrest, Art Newkirk, Ashley Kings, Jonathan Orea Lopez, Eva Pilar, Chad Crowe, Will Jacobs, Melissa Litow, Lauren Revard, Jesse Mueller
Director: Greg Berlanti
Running Time: 132 Minutes
Rating: PG-13 for Some Language and a Few Cigarettes
Release Date: July 12, 2024 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: To quote a certain iconic fictional extraterrestrial family, “Astronauts to the moon? Ha ha ha ha.” A lot of Americans felt the same way in the buildup to the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. In the years since John F. Kennedy’s promise of a manned lunar landing, the team at NASA is just as enthusiastic as ever about blasting off into space, if a little frustrated over a series of setbacks. But the general public is much more restless, so shady government figure Moe Berkus (Woody Harrelson) hires advertising genius Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson) to fix the agency’s public image. She butts heads with the resolutely unflashy Cole Davis (Channing Tatum), who insists that the work should stand for itself. But that’s far from the biggest challenge, as Kelly is also tasked with shooting a fake moon landing as a backup in case they can’t get any usable footage from the real version.
What Made an Impression?: Don’t Worry!: Going into Fly Me to the Moon, I was more than a little concerned that this trifle of alterna-history was going to guilelessly perpetuate one of the most persistent conspiracy theories in American history. It looked clear enough to me that it wasn’t actually claiming that the moon landing was faked, but why play with fire? Fortunately, it ultimately pulls off the screwy trick of confirming that the landing was real while demonstrating how it could have been faked. I don’t expect the most resolutely conspiratorial among us to have their minds changed, but the message is nonetheless clear and on the side of the verified historical record.
Falling Madly in Love?: But what does it matter what’s even happening on the moon if we’re not falling in love back on Earth? Director Greg Berlanti and screenwriter Rose Gilroy certainly see things this way, as Fly Me to the Moon is really a throwback screwball workplace rom-com at heart. Weirdly enough, though, the main love story takes a lot of its cues from the decidedly un-screwball Mad Men, with Kelly serving as a distaff spin on Don Draper, right down to the invented identity backstory. The constant deception makes her romance with Cole much more agonizing than is typically advisable, although this whole routine is old hat for Johansson and Tatum at this point. However, I found myself more invested in the chemistry bubbling underneath the surface between Kelly’s second-in-command, defiantly feminist Ruby (Anna Garcia), and young and awkward NASA engineer Don (Noah Robbins, probably best known as Zach from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt). Overall, it adds up to a somewhat overlong, mostly pleasant diversion that also features bang-up supporting turns by a harried Jim Rash and a thoughtful Ray Romano.
Fly Me to the Moon is Recommended If You Like: Skinny ties, De-emphasizing Channing Tatum’s handsomeness, Playing the hits of the 60s
Grade: 3 out of 5 Rocket Cameras
Jmunney's Blog 
Entertainment To-Do List: Week of 7/12/24
July 12, 2024
jmunney Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Podcasts, Sports, Television British Open, Directors Commentary with Mike Flanagan, Eminem, Fly Me to the Moon, Longlegs, Lucky 13, Podcasts, Press Your Luck, Sing Sing, The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce), The Open, The Open Championship Leave a comment
Today, they consider themselves the luckiest game show hosts on the face of the Earth (CREDIT: Disney)
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Fly Me to the Moon (Theaters)
–Longlegs (Theaters)
–Sing Sing (Theaters)
TV
–Lucky 13 Series Premiere (July 18 on ABC) – New game show hosted by Gina Rodriguez and Shaq.
–Press Your Luck Season Premiere (July 18 on ABC)
Music
-Eminem, The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)
Sports
-2024 Open Championship (July 18-21 on USA, Peacock, and NBC) – They’re golfing at Royal Troon in Scotland this year.
Podcasts
–Directors Commentary with Mike Flanagan – Horror maestro Flanagan watches movies with various directors and offers some commentary.