Fly Me To The Moon, directed by Greg Berlanti, is a recent movie about the support (or lack thereof) from the American public for NASA and the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. This was Apple Studios’ latest feature film creation, and it’s only their fourth to get a theatrical release, but did it deserve one?

Starting off with the two lead performances, Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, this movie brings a lot of star power (Space pun very much intended). Scarlett Johansson plays a character called Kelly, an ad executive charged with the task of selling the moon landing to the American public. Johansson delivers a good performance here, and while it is not her best, she still does a very good job of landing the comedic timing and charm of the character. To be honest, I’m not the biggest fan of Channing Tatum as an actor, but in this movie, I thought he was all right. On his own, his character felt a little weak to me, as if it was a parody of other rom-com roles (like Ryan Gosling’s character in this year’s The Fall Guy). However, when paired with Scarlett Johansson, I think Tatum’s performance shines in their chemistry on-screen. As a rom-com, the chemistry is the most important part to nail, and I think they did it pretty well. 

In terms of the plot of this movie, it is kind of a cool concept, putting a romance right in the center of the Apollo 11 launch with one person on each side of it. One trying to get the launch to happen, and one trying to get the American public’s support for the launch itself. In theory, this should be a very cool movie, but its execution felt a little messy to me. A movie about the Apollo 11 launch is entirely interesting, but it’s also a very big task. Throwing a rom-com into this as well seems like a disservice to both. I think this movie would have benefited from just focusing on one of the many plot points in this movie and allowing the majority of the story to focus on the relationship more. This would help reduce some of the Apollo 11 stuff that ended up being sidelined regardless. 

While I wasn’t the biggest fan of this movie’s 1st and 2nd acts, the 3rd act really saved it for me. It flips the rules of the previous two acts ( A-plot: Romance, B-plot: Apollo 11) and really puts the Apollo 11 plot in the driver’s seat. This last act focuses on the possibility of the faked version of the moon landing being broadcast to the public, which is something NASA doesn’t want and very much intends to prevent. This creates a very fun, high-stakes 3rd act, with the nation’s trust in the hands of our main characters. This 3rd act is also highlighted with some very well-done set pieces, including the actual launch of Apollo 11, the landing on the moon, and the very first steps. I think these big scenes, like the launch of The Apollo 11, were the reason for this theatrical release. While I wouldn’t say it completely enough alone to grant this movie a theatrical release, I think seeing this scene in the theater definitely enriches the experience of watching the movie. I can understand why it got a theatrical release, but I don’t think it was necessary for this one. 

All in all, I would give this move a 2.5/5. It wasn’t a Bad movie, but it also wasn’t especially good. The humor didn’t always land for me and the performances weren’t 100% there, but I also recognize that I wasn’t the target audience for this movie and those around me seemed to have enjoyed it more than me!