Movie review: Fly Me to the Moon flies too far

Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum star in this weird, somewhat wonderful film that's a constellation of genres smashed together in this NASA-themed romance.

Apple Original Films / Sony Pictures

I’ve been reviewing movies for more than a decade - but I can safely say Fly Me to the Moon is the first romantic comedy I’ve ever seen themed to the 1960s NASA space race.

This weird, somewhat wonderful film is a constellation of genres smashed together in an unexpected way. It’s a love story, science thriller, and period comedy all at once, but really, it’s just a wacky take on the Apollo 11 mission with a vague romance between two celebrity stars.

Historical fiction might actually be the best way to describe the story. It’s an alternate history of NASA in 1969, especially between two frenemies: new marketing specialist Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson) and mission launch director Cole (Channing Tatum).

The main plot is Kelly and Cole reluctantly working together to get the last push of funding from congress to finish the moon mission. Where Fly Me flies off in the wrong direction, however, is its substantial subplot focused on - brace yourself - NASA filming a faked version of the moon landing.

Bouncing from the main mission and the strong chemistry of Johansson and Tatum to the less focused or necessary subplots make the film feel overlong and low-stakes. The very, very silly idea that there really was a conspiracy to fake the moon landing definitely doesn’t help either.

There’s a little too much fiction and pseudo-science for Fly Me to the Moon to stay grounded, and that means it’s a tall order asking audiences to take the story seriously. And that’s a shame, because while it’s a big problem, that lack of realism is the only really unlikable aspect of the movie at all.

Johansson and Tatum are thoroughly charming as leads, and they’re surrounded by an earnest and often funny supporting cast, especially with the scene-stealing Jim Rash as diva director Lance Vespertine and Anna Garcia as assistant Ruby.

I also really liked the moral message of the story, as Kelly shares with Cole after a successful project: “Truth is still the truth even if nobody believes it. And a lie is still a lie if everyone believes it.” With high stakes like keeping astronauts safe and having a public maintain their trust in science, that’s an important principle to understand.

Sadly, most of the best moments and twists were spoiled in the film’s trailer, but there are a few scenes of sincere, smart editing that make Fly Me to the Moon enjoyable. That holds true even if it’s a bit shallow.

Maybe if the plot had stayed a bit closer to Earth and less in Hollywood’s space case mind hive, mission control could’ve kept a bit more of just that: control.