Shadows on the Wall | Fly Me to the Moon

Fly Me to the Moon

dir Greg Berlanti
scr Rose Gilroy
prd Keenan Flynn, Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Lia, Sarah Schechter
with Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Woody Harrelson, Jim Rash, Ray Romano, Anna Garcia, Donald Elise Watkins, Noah Robbins, Colin Woodell, Nick Dillenburg, Joe Chrest, Colin Jost
release US/UK 12.Jul.24
24/US Apple 2h12

Is it streaming?

Nifty casting and a playful approach to real-life events elevate this gentle romantic comedy, which entertains the audience with its intelligent dialog and strong-minded characters. Director Greg Berlanti also keeps everything brightly colourful, drawing on the late-1960s period and making the most of the chemistry between Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum. And because Rose Gilroy's script riffs around a historical account, it feels like it could have actually happened.

Determined to get a man on the moon by the end of the decade, launch director Cole (Tatum) and his underfunded Nasa team are developing the Apollo 11 mission. But the public and Congress have lost interest, so shadowy White House agent Moe (Harrelson) hires shark-like New York advertising expert Kelly (Johansson) to boost the mission's profile. Her free-spirited methods clash with straight-arrow Cole, but they've already acknowledged their initial attraction. And when her work begins to get results, Moe asks Kelly to stage a fake moon landing in a warehouse for the TV cameras.

Keeping this elaborate movie set a secret from Cole becomes the central factor in the romcom plot, and it works perfectly because the audience knows that Kelly has a heart under her likeably devious exterior. It also helps that she hires flamboyant drama queen Lance (Rash) to direct this alternate version, while at the same time working to keep her original idea of putting a live camera on the moon alive. Mixing fact with a lot of fiction, film is packed with witty references to long-standing rumours and sci-fi classics.

It's also a terrific pairing of its lead actors, as Johansson and Tatum are superb at flirtatious banter, balancing Kelly's and Cole's offbeat quirks with endearing emotion. This adds a spark to their connection, even if it remains resolutely chaste. Harrelson plays on his shifty White House Plumbers role as the all-knowing spook who pops up at all the wrong times. Garcia, Romano, Wilkins and Robbins have engaging supporting roles. And Rash merrily steals his scenes.

With flat-out gorgeous production design, effects and location work, Berlanti skilfully maintains the mix of silliness and intelligence. There's a proper sense of wonder in Nasa's moon-landing achievement alongside the goofy antics and twinkly romance. Even the presence of a rogue black cat roaming around the launch site adds some intrigue before its slapstick payoff. So the film's lightly meandering pace and over-smiley tone end up making it even more enjoyable.

themes, language 6.Jul.24

R E A D E R R E V I E W S

Still waiting for your comments ... don't be shy.