Fly Me to the Moon

Director: Greg Berlanti
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Woody Harrelson, Ray Romano, Jim Rash, Anna Garcia, Donald Elise Watkins, Noah Robbins, Christian Clemenson, Colin Jost, Victor Garber
Running Time: 132 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★½ (out of ★★★★)

Reactions to Greg Berlanti's Fly Me to the Moon could vary based on whether you feel all its contrasting elements eventually converge into a somewhat successful film. Anyone looking for a biographical drama on the 60's Space Race will find that plot ceding the spotlight to a fluffy throwback romance in the vein of a Rock Hudson/Doris Day movie. As an inoffensively lightweight rom-com it's a fairly well made effort that looks and feels how you'd imagine studio executives view this era, for better or worse. 

Clocking in at just over two hours, it feels much longer, which could be due to Berlanti juggling multiple balls in the air before landing on the snappy farce teased in its trailers. With a narrative that revolves around advertising, Rose Gilroy's script does deliver what's publicized, as you can easily envision a pitch meeting describing this as Mad Men meets Apollo 13. Or more accurately, Apollo 11. Ironically, everything involving a faked moon landing is the most intriguing aspect, even if it's sometimes treated as a bigger obstacle for the romance than the space program.

It's 1968 and NASA has an image problem, failing to secure funding in the Space Race with the Soviets following the Apollo I disaster. As Kennedy Space Center launch director Cole Davis (Channing Tatum) prepares for the upcoming Apollo 11 flight that will put the first men on the moon, deceitful New York advertising executive Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson) is blackmailed by President Nixon operative Moe Berkus (Woody Harrelson) into revamping NASA's public relations office. After some initial flirtation, her and Cole soon clash when Kelly starts making sponsorship deals and hiring actors to play scientists in media appearances. 

While Kelly's new initiatives result in increased funding, the nation's attention remains on a raging Vietnam War. With the agency's entire future now riding on Apollo 11, Kelly plans to broadcast the moon landing on television despite Cole's skepticism about placing a camera on the spacecraft. Moe loves the idea, but has a back-up plan few but Kelly and her assistant Ruby (Anna Garcia) are privy to. As the launch approaches, Kelly must decide whether to tell Cole the entire truth or risk undermining everything NASA's team has been working toward.

Going just by its description, you'd figure this would have the potential to be a fairly exciting take on the Space Race. But it's goofy in a tone reminiscent of Jerry Seinfeld's recent Unfrosted, which would be fine if this were about breakfast treats rather than sending the first men to the moon. Add to that a sullen Cole's guilt over the recent Apollo 1 tragedy and suddenly there isn't a whole lot to laugh about. 

NASA needing some serious PR assistance makes for a believable hook, as does the involvement of Harrelson's Nixon operative. But whatever credibility those ideas carried on paper quickly dissolve once the emphasis is put on Kelly and Cole's "will they or won't they" relationship. The pair's early scenes together do work though, especially when she infuriates him with a constant stream of product tie-ins. The script drops not so subtle clues that lying and manipulation come easier to Kelly than most, even by cutthroat Madison Avenue standards. Since Cole basically despises every idea she has, we know their constant bickering will wear out its welcome before he finally comes around. 

It's a while before we get a sufficient explanation about Cole's state of mind, making his interactions with Kelly a bit exasperating. If that's not enough, she's also hiding something significant from her past, resulting in disagreements, misunderstandings and manufactured crises before the inevitable launch. Johansson and Tatum are just fine, and while few could claim their chemistry is off the charts, they each deliver exactly what's required given the scope of these roles.

Harrelson lends a mischievous sarcasm to the bureaucratic Moe, squeezing a little extra out of a supporting turn that's more worthwhile than expected. Once the shuttle launches, this takes off in way it didn't before, treating us to a spirited performance from Jim Rash as the flamboyant director put in charge of filming this staged production should the real mission fail. A film solely focused on a fake moon landing would probably be less far fetched than what we see here, but at least the approach is different and leads into a suspenseful split screen finale.

Unfortunately, Berlanti pays only so much attention to the details before declaring what he really thinks the story's about. Those more interested in the mission itself should probably prepare themselves for a breezy diversion that isn't particularly interested in going beneath the surface. But during the moments it strikes the right balance, Fly Me to the Moon shows glimmers of what could have been under the best of circumstances.