Movies

Peter Suderman | 7.12.2024 10:56 AM

If nothing else, Fly Me to the Moon is probably the first romantic comedy structured around a dispute over federal funding. One hopes it's also the last.

Set during the heyday of NASA's moon missions, the movie tells the story of Cole Davis, a hunky moonshot flight director (Channing Tatum), and Kelly Jones, a Madison Avenue marketing wizard (Scarlett Johansson), who must work together to sell the moon landing to both the public and skeptical members of Congress. And, also, fake the moon landing, Stanley Kubrick-style, just in case anything goes wrong.

It's an inventive setup with real potential, and the leading duo provide plenty of movie-star rocket fuel. But the underwhelming script and scattered story don't deliver on the premise. If Fly Me to the Moon were a mission to space, it would be regarded as a failure to launch.

Although the moon shot is now revered as one of the last moments where Americans proved they could do and build big things, the movie begins by reminding viewers........

© Reason.com