[FILM REVIEW] FLY ME TO THE MOON Review (2024)
Summary: Marketing maven Kelly Jones wreaks havoc on launch director Cole Davis’s already difficult task. When the White House deems the mission too important to fail, the countdown truly begins.
Year: 2024
Cinema Release Dates: 11th July 2024 (Australia), 1st August 2024 (Thailand), 6th July 2024 (UK), 5th July 2024 (USA)
VOD Release Dates: TBA
Country: USA, UK
Director: Greg Berlanti
Screenwriter: Rose Gilroy
Cast: Eugene Alper (Nikita Khrushchev), Bill Barrett (Cole-Look-A-Look), Joseph Britt (Joseph), Jeremy Carr (Ed White), Joe Chrest (Senator Vanning), Christian Clemenson (Walter), Nick Dillenburg (Neil Armstrong), Todd Allen Durkin (Phil Hunley), Anna Garcia (Ruby Martin), Aidan Patrick Griffin (Yuri Garagin), Gerry Griffin (Colonel Taylor), Woody Harrelson (Moe Berkus), Frank Hughes (Frank), Todd James Jackson (Gus Grissom), Peter Jacobson (Chuck Meadows), Scarlett Johannson (Kelly Jones), Gene Jones (Seantor Hopp), Colin Jost (Senator Cook), Greg Kriek ((Henry-Look-A-Like), Stephanie Kurtzuba (Jolene Vanning), Robert McLeroy (Bryce Firmage), Trevor Morgan (Fake Buzz), Kade Pittman (Fake Neil), J. Michael Popovich (Pops), Ray Ramano (Henry Smalls), Jim Rash (Lance Vespertine), Lauren Revard (Ella), Noah Robbins (Don Harper), Channing Tatum (Cole Davis), Chris Vroman (Zack Tanner), Peter Wallack (Roger Chaffee), Donald Elise Watkins (Stu Bryce), Gary Weeks (Neil Brown), Njeme Williams (Wolfie’s Joe), Dariusz Wolski (Edvard), Colin Woodell (Buzz Aldrin), Christian Zuber (Michael Collins)
Running Time: 132 minutes
Classification: M (Australia), 13 (Thailand), 12A (UK), PG-13 (USA)
OUR FLY ME TO THE MMON REVIEWS
David Griffiths’s Fly Me To T he Moon Review
The moon landing – did it happen or was it staged? It’s hard to imagine that when I went to High School, okay a little longer ago than I care to admit, it was simply taught that the moon landing did happen. Today we find ourselves in a world where a growing number of people believe what it is considered in a pivotal event in world history may have in fact been staged.
Well while Greg Berlanti (Love, Simon) doesn’t attempt to win over those who believe the landing was faked with his new film Fly Me To The Moon he does in fact offer up a suggestion of why some people feel that it really happened while others believe it was shot on a film set.
Fly Me To The Moon tells the story of what happens when NASA launch director Cole Davis (Channing Tatum – White House Down) meets marketing specialist Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson – The Avengers) when she is brought on-board to make NASA more popular with both the public and the Government in the lead-up to the mission to the moon.
At first Cole and his right hand man Henry Smalls (Ray Ramano – Everybody Loves Raymond) are offended by the idea of what they conceive is commercialising NASA but they soon start to realise that it is needed in order to raise funds to make that NASA can keep going with the mission.
But as Cole and Kelly start to become romantically involved their relationship is further tested when Kelly is suddenly confronted by the mysterious Moe Berkus (Woody Harrelson – The Hunger Games) who on behalf of the President tells her that she has to be involved in a ‘film shoot’ of a moon landing in case the mission fails.
She is reluctant to be involved, especially when she is told that she can’t tell Cole about the task, but is then blackmailed by Moe and has to proceed with her good friend, the flamboyant Lance Vespertine (Jim Rash – The Way Way Back), directing one of the most important shoots of all time.
What Berlanti and first time feature screenwriter Rose Gilroy have delivered here is pretty much a romantic comedy with an historical twist but this film goes a lot deeper than that. Most cinema audiences are used to romantic comedies with cliched, undeveloped characters but that certainly isn’t the case here. Gilroy has given these characters depth and even given Kelly a backstory with a twist that makes her completely vulnerable when Moe decides to blackmail her.
Some critics have been kind of harsh with their comments about Channing Tatum’s performance in this film but they have missed one key thing – Tatum’s lack of emotion in his role is not bad acting it is him simply presenting a character that is no good at showing emotion – the way that his character has been written on the page. It’s not a wooden acting performance it’s an actor playing a socially awkward character.
Gilroy’s screenplay is also full of truly comedic moments, not trying to spoil anything but the black cat springs straight to mind, that will genuinely make the audience chuckle and also consists of truly beautiful moments especially revolving around Cole’s traumatic past. Like character development true emotion in a romantic comedy is rare but Gilroy and Berlanti manage to incorporate both into the film here and the result is a film that is truly beautiful and captures the time period remarkably well.
The cast also react well to the screenplay. Channing Tatum does what he is asked to bring to the screen in a surprisingly layered role while Scarlett Johansson captures the grace of many of the actresses of the 50s and 60s sensationally well.
Woody Harrelson seems to relish the opportunity to be able to over-act as he portrays the villain of the piece while credit must also be paid to Jim Rash, who often steals the scenes that he is in, Ray Ramano, who takes a break from a comedy with a straight-laced performance, and Anna Garcia whose under-stated performance is a real highlight.
Fly Me To The Moon is one of the real surprises of 2024. It is beautifully charming with characters that you will actually find yourself loving and a witty screenplay that while comical does not make light of a true historical achievement.
David’s rating Out Of 5
Average Subculture rating Out Of 5
Other Fly Me To The Moon Reviews
Nil
Trailer: