Poking fun at the long-held conspiracy theory that the 1969 moon landing was staged, Fly Me to the Moon fuels plenty of laughs, but its rocketing tonal shifts bring it crashing back to earth.
Set against the backdrop of the tumultuous '60s - Vietnam War, JFK's assassination, and civil unrest - the period rom-com nails its mission of getting cinema-goers to reflect on modern day concerns about authenticity in marketing and the political dimensions of misinformation.
Over fifty years on from Neil Armstong and Buzz Aldrin’s lunar leap for mankind, director Greg Berlanti (Dawson’s Creek, Arrowverse, Riverdale), has an absolute blast toying with the idea that Nixon’s administration filmed the historic event in a sound studio to beat the Soviets in the space race.
It's Scarlett Johansson's charisma that keeps proceedings soaring throughout the 132-minute journey as a PR whizz hired to sell NASA's Apollo 11 flight to the American people and US Congress. Also serving as a producer alongside Berlanti, she finds every little nuance in her character here - the heart and humour; vulnerability and determination.
Chris Evans was originally attached to play Channing Tatum's role as a laser-focused NASA Launch Director hell-bent on getting the astronauts up to the moon safely, and perhaps, the Marvel alum would have brought more spark to the role.
The usually on-form Tatum gets blindsided by a half-baked and aimless script. Thankfully, Houston has no problems when it comes to the unassuming chemistry between its two leads, with both stars managing to keep the blossoming love subplot from sinking into a black hole.
Initially to be helmed by Jason Bateman, Berlanti's breezy pace is appreciated in this screwball comedy. While NASA really did hire PR specialists to boost dwindling support of Americans who weren't sold on the Apollo 11 mission, Berlanti's creative liberties are gleefully taken to the moon and back.
The script by Rose Gilroy, and story by Bill Kirstein and Keenan Flynn, floats for long stretches on the charm of its stars and the outlandish stunts of its joyride.
The movie is at its best when it is laidback and playful, glazing over some of the rougher craters where its jokes don't always land, such as the recurring references to acclaimed director Stanley Kubrick, and a cameo by a pesky black cat who is determined to claw his way into scenes.
Woody Harrelson is firing on all of his charismatic cylinders in his supporting role as a shadowy government official, while the effortlessly charming, Jim Rash, fully embraces the part of an eccentric director tasked with making the faux landing come to life.
Reportedly costing more than $100 million to make, the big-budget romp successfully launches through Dariusz Wolski’s impeccable lens.
With several technical advisors from the Apollo-era on board, viewers can feast their eyes on striking cutaways showcasing the mastery of NASA engineers building the mammoth Saturn V rockets, and magnificent lunar module.
An estimated 650 million viewers worldwide watched the iconic moon landing, while it's believed that between 5-11% of Americans think the event never actually happened.
Fly Me to the Moon isn't out-of-this world, but it deserves to land smoothly at the box-office this summer.
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