POPZ-CULTURE Movie Reviews – Fly me to the moon (2024)
Genre: Romantic comedy
Age limit: 12
Directed by: Greg Berlanti
Written by: Keenan Flynn, Bill Kirstein, Rose Gilroy
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Woody Harrelson
As October draws to a close, we are well into autumn. The days are getting shorter, the evenings are getting colder, and it’s all about pumpkin spice and the upcoming Halloween. We’re definitely looking for movies to cheer us up on our nights at home. In the streaming offerings, we found Fly Me to the Moon, a romantic comedy set in an exciting period of history during the Apollo program.
Cole Davis is under enormous pressure. As NASA’s Launch Director, he is putting together a prestigious project in the increasingly fierce space race requiring a tremendous amount of resources as the venture to get the first man on the moon. He needs new supporters to keep everything on track. Help arrives in the person of Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson), a loquacious, sell-anything marketing professional who does whatever it takes to make the space programme attractive to the public and politicians again.
Apart from the many funny moments in the confrontation between professional and PR aspects, the romantic thread is also very stylishly presented. Channning Tatum has been mostly known for his comedic side, but now we had the chance to see him in a more complex role. Scarlett Johansson comes to the foreground more from the middle of the story and shows that she is not only convincing in the scenes they play together.
In comedies, it’s relatively rare to expect outstanding visuals, but in this case, we have to write about it. The costumes, cars and sets of the period look very nice, but what makes this film last is the quality of the editing. From the very first minutes, there is a succession of fast-moving, dynamic shots. Its pulsating rhythm kept us in front of the TV throughout, even though the running time was well over two hours.
Halfway through the film, the story takes a serious turn, which threw us off a bit, but afterwards we understood why it was necessary. The filmmakers cleverly reflected the popular conspiracy theories, according to which the lunar landing never actually happened, and it was all a staged, studio production. The more serious problem was with the character of Cole, who makes a rather out-of-character decision in the endgame. His behaviour could be interpreted as the conclusion of a personality development process, but in terms of the big picture it was more of a needless element to heighten the tension. Some of Kelly’s actions also seem too unrealistic.
Fly Me to the Moon is clearly one of the better streaming titles. Its light-hearted atmosphere, likeable characters and moving, creative scenes will provide a pleasant diversion for those who prefer to relax at home. It is worth bearing in mind, however, that it does not present the events of 1969 with the sophistication of a documentary.
What comedies have you seen lately? Do you know any good rom-coms? We welcome your answers in the comments. If you liked our article, share it with others. And if you’re in the mood for a tasty movie and series-watching snack, POPZ popcorn is the best choice.