Fly Me To The Moon is an old-style romantic comedy set in 1969 as NASA prepares for its greatest achievement – the moon landing. Source: Australian Catholics.
Scarlett Johansson is definitely the star of the film as Kelly Jones in one of her most forceful performances. Something of a con artist, skilful in promotion and advertising, she is recruited by a mysterious secret agent who claims he has a line directly to US President Richard Nixon ( played with smilingly smug complacency by Woody Harrelson).
Her mission is to make the moon landing and its preparations much better known to the American public.
What follows is an extraordinary look at American brashness, self-confidence and promotion of any product by any means as well as, more seriously, some extraordinary lobbying of senators who are inclined to cut off funds for NASA.
Kelly is able to rise to every occasion, walking over most opposition, changing her accent at a moment’s notice, flirtatious one minute and religiously devout the next.
The other half of the romance is a rather more serious. Channing Tatum plays Cole Davis, a former Korean pilot who is the launcher chief for the Moon project. He is conscientious about his work – though the screenplay is a bit satirical about him and his style.
When he meets Kelly, he is infatuated – but soon disillusioned when he discovers her mission and sees how she operates, with her frequent manipulation of truth and outright lies. But, he does get caught up in the melodrama, often unwillingly.
The screenplay here amusingly incorporates the conspiracy theory of the fabrication of the moon landing along with the real thing.
Review by Peter Malone MSC, Jesuit Media.
Fly Me To The Moon: Starring Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Woody Harrelson, Ray Romano, Jim Rash. Directed by Greg Berlanti. 132 minutes. Rated M (Coarse language)
FULL REVIEW
Fly Me To The Moon (Jesuit Media via Australian Catholics)
