Posted in: Movies, Review | Tagged: channing tatum, fly me to the moon, scarlett johansson

Fly Me To The Moon Is A Charming Summer Film {Review}

Fly Me To The Moon is a summer comedy worth your time, full of winning performances and great energy. It is now playing in theaters.

Published Sat, 13 Jul 2024 15:17:08 -0500

by Jeremy Konrad

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Article Summary

Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum charm in Fly Me To The Moon.
Greg Berlanti's directing reminiscent of '90s comedy/dramas.
Supporting roles by Ray Romano and Jim Rash bring humor and heart.
A fresh take on the '60s Space Race, defying comedy's box office slump.

Fly Me To The Moon is the kind of movie that used to clean up in the summer as counter-programming to the big and boisterous blockbusters, with a winning cast and charming story. Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum show another side of themselves that some may have forgotten about over the years, and the supporting cast is memorable. It may be a tad long, but this film is a perfect summer treat that is lacking in comedy.

Fly Me To The Moon Is A Charming Summer Film {Review} — Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum in "Fly Me to the Moon." Credit Apple

Fly Me To The Moon Puts A Smile On Your Face

Set at NASA around the Moon Landing, Scarlett Johansson is a publicist who was brought in to make space travel cool again as we raced Russia to the moon. Channing Tatum plays the NASA director, trying to get those three men to the moon and back safely. They, of course, butt heads and find mutual respect with each other. All that is thrown into chaos when the US government charges Johansson with staging the moon landing in case the mission goes awry.

Directed by Greg Berlanti, he brings a certain pace to everything that is a throwback to 90's comedy/dramas like The American President and Dave. Screwball comedy with a touch of drama has largely been forgotten by Hollywood these days, and it is refreshing to watch talented people in this setting. The script from Rose Gilroy is tough to pull off, and while a couple of mysteries involving the backstories of characters like Johansson's were probably not necessary, none of it detracts from the main story. Part of that is the supporting cast, led by Ray Romano and Jim Rash, both of which bring huge laughs and even moments of levity when needed. Rash especially was strong casting, as his tough-to-work-with director fits him like a glove.

Fly Me To The Moon all hinges on Tatum and Johansson, however, and they are game. People forget how charming and likable these two are in roles where they are not punching things or taking their clothes off on a stage. Tatum especially takes what could have been a role-your-eyes performance and brings humanity and sympathy to the role. Johansson is electric and breathes life into the script with her performance. Neither feels like they are acting; they bring their characters to life in a special way. What a dynamic pairing they turned out to be.

The Space Race of the '60s is such fertile storytelling ground, and Apple got themselves one of the best films set around that time period in a long time. Playing around with the joke that they staged the moon landing and playing right into those conspiracies leads to a lot of laughter, especially on the big day and when the walk on the moon was actually taking place. It is a riot and one of the best scenes in a film this summer.

In a summer and box office that keeps saying that comedy is dead and can't open, Fly Me To The Moon arrives to try and push those negative thoughts aside. Will it succeed? Time will tell, but it will be no fault of the film itself. This is the smart, funny, and, once again, charming film that people have been begging Hollywood to make more of. Now, people need to watch it. They will be glad they did.

Fly Me To The Moon