If the charms/chemistry of its leads makes a romantic comedy soar, then plotting, pacing and tonal missteps are what bring Fly Me to the Moon crashing back to Earth. A rom-com way too light on rom and too restrained with its com, this is a 128-minute movie (not including the end credits) that spends way too much time on its well-worn plot, dull sentiment and misplaced nostalgia and rushes through the developments its audience came to see. Character arcs essentially happen off-screen and the humor is kept at a disappointingly low pitch considering the potential silliness of the premise. This cast in this story seems perfect for some old-fashioned farcical fun. Instead, they make it watchable, despite all the ways in which it lets them down.
The year is 1969. Americans are losing interest in the space race. NASA’s solution is Kelly, a smooth-talking marketing genius who is hired to turn public perception their way to build anticipation for the launch of Apollo 11. Standing in her way is Cole, the strait-laced flight commander who considers her job an unnecessary disruption of their important work. Will these two good-looking opposites attract each other? Will the movie get out of its own way long enough to get viewers invested?
I won’t spoil the answer to that first question, though the answer to the second is a resounding no. Scarlett Johannson is enjoyable as Kelly, a woman who relishes twisting the truth to get her desired result. Channing Tatum is a great choice to play the uber-serious Cole, so we can see his comical side when this lovely woman softens him. Unfortunately, the movie rarely allows him to be funny. It saddles him with anger and fear that prevents him from getting to have fun. Tatum can be hilarious (see the dumb, but amusing The Lost City). He could’ve at least been an effective straight man if the chaos surrounding him was actually chaotic. The silliness is too toned down for him to fit that role.
So much time is spent taking the quest for the moon seriously that the makers of Fly Me to the Moon seem to have forgotten what this is supposed to be. There are already plenty of (significantly better) movies about the Apollo 11 mission. All the solemnity and completely artificial drama heaped on that material only serves to distract from this story, which should be about Scarlett Johannson and Channing Tatum flirting and falling for each other, with the space stuff as a backdrop. The filmmakers have their priorities mixed up and that dooms this whole thing. The final act is almost entirely focused on the broadcast of the landing and has nothing to do with Kelly and Cole’s budding relationship. The majority of the moments where they realize their feelings for one another occur off-screen!
There is little witty banter, a few clever scenes and the general feeling that director Greg Berlanti and screenwriter Rose Gilroy lost their way at some point during production. This should have been easy; take two likable, attractive actors, give them flirty repartee and stick them in a goofy plot that lets them (and the audience) have a good time as they inevitably discover they’re in love.
Fly Me to the Moon begins promisingly with the conflict between Kelly’s cheerful deceptions and Cole’s insistence on keeping the nonsense away from the science. Yet there’s no escalation, no personal stakes, no entertaining supporting characters (Woody Harrelson is wasted as an irritating antagonist, Ray Romano is given lame one-liners and a couple speeches about how wonderful Cole is and Jim Rash seems like he’s coming from a totally different (much broader) comedy) and very little in the way of a legitimate relationship between the two people we are presumably intended to care about seeing get together. While Fly Me to the Moon doesn’t explode on takeoff, its stars are too handcuffed by the lack of focus to carry this far.
2½ out of 5
Cast:
Scarlett Johansson as Kelly Jones
Channing Tatum as Cole Davis
Woody Harrelson as Moe Berkus
Ray Romano as Henry Smalls
Jim Rash as Lance Vespertine
Directed by Greg Berlanti
Screenplay by Rose Gilroy
Comments