Fly Me to the Moon

I dithered over whether to watch this but we went for it and it was an enjoyable couple of hours in the cinema. There's no comparison between the two leads; Johanson is engaging and funny. Tatum is surely just a Thunderbird puppet both in looks and acting. Harrelson adds his own typically unique character to the role he plays. It was hilarious reading some reviewers complaining of the lack of historical accuracy. That's like complaining that Airplane doesn't accurately reflect what happens to an aircraft in emergency. The plot is described elsewhere and whilst it's a bit daft, I'm sure some people will take it a bit too seriously but go, watch it and enjoy an easy couple of hours.

This movie is NOT generic. At all. If the premise of faking the mood landing is not in this movie than yes it's a pretty generic rom com but because that's the entire movie I don't get how this is generic.

If you have a beating heart and sense of humor this movie will charm you. ScarJo is throwing 100 mph in every scene. She's outstanding. This is a signature performance in her catalog and really fleshes out what makes her 1 of 1. One down side is that Channing Tatum is very good in the movie but he's not on her level and I don't think anyone would argue that. Her scenes with Jim Rash (sneaky MVP) are all time great. They have some magic I hope they do more work together. I've always been found of his performance in Community and his screen play The Way Way Back.

The other surprise for me was how great Woody and ScarJo are together. That was the secret sauce of the movie. Not just their acting chemistry but the idea of a Nixon enforcer and fixer battling with this con artist type advertising saleswoman is beautiful stuff. It's really breathtaking to witness.

The other part of this movie that provides some fun for all ages is the stuff with the cat in the movie. This is such a cute and realistic use of a cat who just lingers around an area getting in the way just in the smallest way.

When I saw the trailer for FLY ME TO THE MOON, I thought it looked like it would be fun, but I wasn't sure if it would be good. It is a movie taking place during the great space race of the 60s, where a shady government agent Moe (Woody Harrelson) hires the best marketing specialist Kelly (Scarlett Johansson) to publicize NASA to save their space program. She tries to work with the Apollo 11 launch director Cole (Channing Tatum), who is against the whole idea. The lines are blurred between acting and lying in this romance/comedy/political satire/historical drama. That's my main problem with this: it tries to be too many things, making the tone and pacing jarring for the audience. I didn't really feel the chemistry between the leads. I heard Chris Evans was going to be the lead. That would've been much better as him and "Scar-Jo" are good friends. Nothing against Channing, I just think he needed more to work with. It didn't feel like they were in the 60s: the costume designs were, but the way they spoke, not so much. Saying all of that, I still liked the fun ride. The side characters knew what kind of movie this was, especially Ray Romano and Jim Rash. The leads' backstories were good as well, even though I wish I had known a little earlier so I could have something to hang on to, character-wise. This was a perfectly charming crowd-pleaser that, to me, felt very much like a "studio-driven" movie. Original idea but somehow formulaic. FLY ME TO THE MOON is about how people will believe anything if Scarlett Johansson sells it to them. I still recommend seeing this "bit of fluff", as my uncle would say.

7.8/10 (Definitely Recommend)

"Fly Me to the Moon" is a romanticized account of the Apollo 11 moon mission, and how they put a man in space. Despite the film's storytelling being primarily focused on a launch director (Tatum) and a marketing maven (Johansson), it truly pulls you into the overall story.

Scarlett Johansson and Woody Harrelson fit well into the story, but even after watching the film I'm still iffy about Channing Tatum's performance. For me he just seemed like a modern day guy who pops up in the 1960s and wears increasingly cliche "Star Trek" shirts especially when he wore yellow. Despite that that slightly ill feeling the overall chemistry of the cast was great. Tatum was really the only one who felt "out".

The cinematography along with the score and sets made it feel like the 1960s, but with a clean look. The combination of both archival footage and the modern film gave you the feeling that you were experiencing the Apollo 11 launch for the first time in your life. My heart was racing with every aspect despite the full knowledge that crew went up, stepped on the moon, and returned.

This film is definitely date night worthy as it's very much focused on the relationship between the two aforementioned work titles of Scar Jo and Channing Tatum, but it still meshes well with a historical aspect. The film also has rewatch-ability as I would watch it again.

Overall, there is a good amount to like about the film. The characters, the setting, and the editing are my top three. Definitely worthy of seeing at least once, and as stated it does make for a good date night movie too.

That's it for now. Thanks for taking time to read my review. Happy watching and enjoy the show!

We can all learn something new about one of history's most well know events, the Apollo 11 rocket launch and moon landing through a different lens. Witness the favorable effects on public perception and governmental fund allocations achieved by marketing and Public Relations tactics bringing much-needed support to the mission. This is how many of today's well-known brands (such as Omega watches) got their recognition off the ground and virtually launched into the stratosphere. The pacing never felt like watching paint dry, and the acting of Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson was refreshing to follow.