For all of the moving parts that are driving the high concept of Fly Me to the Moon, it's really a romantic movie at heart. Romantic about the vast wonders of space and the remarkable achievement of putting a man on the moon. Romantic about a time where American exceptionalism was a pillar of the nation. Romantic about an era where movie stars were the beating heart of Hollywood. While the former two concepts are representative of an idealistic worldview that can't possibly exist in the 2020's without nuclear-grade optimism or delusion, the latter one is what saves from Fly Me to the Moon from being a noble failure.
The movie stars that make the magic happen here are none other than old pros Scarlett Johannson and Channing Tatum. Not only do the pair bring a ton of magnetism to the screen regardless of who they're sharing scenes with, they effortlessly slide into the whole sentimental, wide-eyed 60's aesthetic Fly Me to the Moon is going for. There's a real warmth in the air whenever they're on screen and the whimsical breeziness that comes with watching their characters and relationship grow (Tatum plays a buttoned-up veteran NASA launch director while Johansson is a brilliant marketing specialist with a questionable moral compass hired by the government to help sell the American public on the moon landing) against the pressure-filled backdrop of the Space Race makes it pretty easy to forgive the middling execution of the alternate history dramedy that's going on around them. It's kind of a shame that these two got paired up for the first time in something that is otherwise pretty forgettable, but it's a terrific lead actor pairing nonetheless and may their efforts to save this film from mediocrity be the inspiration a casting director needs to reunite them for a more exciting project in the future.
Grade: B-
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