FLY ME TO THE MOON (2024) - Movie Review

Director: Greg Berlanti
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Woody Harrelson, Ray Romano, Jim Rash, Anna Garcia, Donald Elise Watkins, Noah Robbins, Christian Clemeson
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Writer: Rose Gilroy
Runtime: 132 min
Rated: Rated PG-13 for some strong language, and smoking
Buy This Movie: Apple TV

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Synopsis:

Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum star as a marketing maven and a by-the-book launch director who team up for a mission set against the high-stakes backdrop of NASA's historic Apollo 11 moon landing.

Review:

With a whopping budget of $100 million, and only $41.6 million grossed worldwide, "Fly Me To The Moon" is one of 2024's biggest flops. When I first heard how expensive this rom-com is, I thought it was ridiculous, but upon watching the movie, I have to admit, it looked expensive. What I don't understand is how could anyone think this could be a big box-office hit, particularly one big enough to justify a blockbuster budget.

Using NASA's historic Apollo 11 moon landing as a backdrop for a romance is not the worst idea for a film I've ever heard of. But things take a surreal turn when the highly popular conspiracy theory of the faked moon landing makes its way into the movie. And I do mean all the way into the movie. So much so that it occupies a great deal of the film's latter half, convoluting the narrative and bulldozing historical facts for a laugh.

Director Greg Berlanti is best known for producing The CW's DC Comics shows ("Arrow", "Supergirl" and "Titans" among others) and directing the teen rom-com "Love, Simon", which I have not seen, but I've heard good things about. Here he seems curiously clueless as to what this movie should be. Almost everything related to NASA and the Space Race is engrossing, but everything surrounding the romance and the wacky, cartoonish comedy falls flat, which ends up leaving the audience with severe tonal whiplash. Reportedly Jason Bateman was at one point attached to direct, but left the project due to creative differences. I would have really liked to see his take on this story.

Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum are charming performers, and on paper, at least, seem perfect for an old-fashioned romance such as this. However, I can't really say I was sold on their chemistry, and Johansson's performance often comes off as forced. Both characters are thinly written and cliched, and the dialogue is some of the flattest I've ever heard. Even the supporting cast is wasted, and not even the likes of Ray Romano and Woody Harrelson can liven up this dull mess. Also, at almost two hours and 10 minutes before credits, it's way too long.

At the very least it's a great looking movie, but that's to be expected on a budget this big. Dariusz Wolski's (who also appears in the movie) cinematography is beautiful, and the film was shot on location at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex at Cape Canaveral, which means many of the rockets, vehicles and buildings in the movie are real, as opposed to fake sets and props. Whenever visual effects were required, I have to say it's handled seamlessly.

As an ode to NASA and humanity's intrepid spirit, it's okay, albeit somewhat heavy-handed. As a romantic comedy it's a godawful mess. Overall, despite so much talent involved, the movie is way less than the sum of its parts. Watch it only if you already own an Apple TV+ subscription.

SCORE: 6/10