By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
A very formulaic romantic comedy is dressed up with a popular conspiracy theory to provide light and predictable entertainment. “Fly Me to the Moon” is carried by its star power but lacks the creativity to make it special. Just like the moon itself, it’s fun to travel there but once you arrive, all you’re left with is an unending view of gray dirt and craters.
It’s the late 1960’s and the space race between the United States and Soviet Union is in full swing with the pressure being felt by NASA to fulfill JFK’s promise to the public of a moon landing before the start of a new decade. After multiple failures and astronaut deaths, drumming up support and funding has been very difficult for the space agency. Government agent Moe Berkus (Woody Harrelson) enlists the help of a marketing savant by the name of Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson) to change the public’s view for the better.
Despite being annoyed with Kelly having full access to NASA and constantly getting in his way, launch director Cole Davis (Channing Tatum) slowly warms up to her and a romantic interest begins to blossom. However, when Moe encourages Kelly to secretly stage and film a fake moon landing in the event the real mission fails, the deceit and her mysterious past threaten to tear the two apart.
Jason Bateman was originally hired to direct this motion picture but left citing creative differences, and judging from the sheer lack of creativity, the film might have benefited from his vision. Instead, Greg Berlanti (“Love, Simon”) helms this project and follows the rom-com formula to a tee. First, boy meets girl and there’s an instant connection. Second, the chance encounter is prolonged when they reluctantly must work together, slowly reigniting that spark from that first meeting. Then, something happens to tear the couple apart, finally resulting in an obvious outcome. Ever since “It Happened One Night” created and perfected this rom-com template in 1934, hundreds of films have emulated it to varying degrees of success since. This basic approach is tried and true but leads to overwhelming predictability.
Even though Berlanti lacks ingenuity with this production, he includes a clever nod to the popular conspiracy theory that astronauts have never landed on the moon and that it was indeed faked. He even incorporates references to Stanley Kubrick, who according to this theory was said to have filmed the fake moon landing. This is a fun little inclusion that tickles the back of the brain.
As far as the comedy is concerned, Berlanti generates minor chuckles throughout with slapstick and situational humor but at times the jokes become cheesy with unrealistic dialogue and silly pratfalls. This also diminishes the realism of the era, making NASA employees look more like The Keystone Kops than actual rocket scientists. There are even scenes in which they start chasing after a stray black cat that has somehow wandered into the rocket assembly area. It’s at this point the audience realizes this is more of a frivolous watch than one with any deeper meaning or historical insight.
Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson are two of the more popular Hollywood stars, so putting them together in a romantic comedy only makes sense. While their appeal and likability remain high throughout the film, their romantic chemistry is almost as lackluster as the creativity. Their interactions are cutesy even when they bicker, but there is no believable passion between them. Chris Evans was originally supposed to be Scarlett’s counterpart, but he had to drop out due to a scheduling conflict, which is unfortunate because their chemistry has been well developed through their time in the MCU. Despite the limited chemistry, Tatum and Johansson bring enough levity to their performances that still bring a smile to viewers’ faces.
Having veteran actors like Woody Harrelson and Ray Romano in the supporting cast is a nice bonus. Both of whom know how to generate comedic scenes through their line delivery and do so in the limited scenes in which they appear. Jim Rash also contributes to the comedy in his role as the overbearing director of the fake moon landing, although he does overdo it at times.
Although “Fly Me to the Moon” stays within the lines of the rom-com template, it is still a decently fun watch that doesn’t require a lot of thought. It is a light, airy film that barely scratches the rom-com itch and presents itself as a decent option for couples on a date night. There’s enough amusement to lift it off the ground, but lacks thrust to take it into a memorable orbit.
This movie earns:
