Movie Review

PG-13

GENRE

Comedy, Romance

CAST

Scarlett Johansson as Kelly Jones; Channing Tatum as Cole Davis; Woody Harrelson as Moe Berkus; Ray Romano as Henry Smalls; Anna Garcia as Ruby; Jim Rash as Lance Vespertine; Christian Clemenson as Tour Guide Walter

DIRECTOR

Greg Berlanti

DISTRIBUTOR

Sony Pictures

IN THEATERS

July 12, 2024

REVIEWER

Bob Hoose

Movie Review

Kelly Jones is really good at her marketing job. And it’s not so much because of her vast knowledge of the advertising biz or the products she’s trying to pitch. She just knows the art of the con.

Now, I don’t mean she manipulates to cheat or hurt anybody. That’s not her style. She simply knows how to get people in the right, uh, frame of mind.

If that means she needs to wear a fake baby bump to disarm some sexist car maker, or she has to smilingly charm a senator with an exaggerated Southern accent, then so be it.

Of course, there aren’t many who understand the con game better than a government agency man. So when one Moe Burkus approaches Kelly with an overstuffed file full of her past, shall we say, duplicitousness, she quickly realizes that she’s outmatched.

Fortunately, Moe isn’t there to criticize or accuse Kelly. In fact, he wants to hire her.

Back in 1961 President Kennedy made a national push to get the U.S. space industry up to speed, Moe explains. You know, to beat those Soviet commies into space. Now, some seven years and a very public failure later, things aren’t going well. But the government has determined that the space race is too important to fail. They will beat the Soviets to the moon.

However, to do that, the White House needs a marketing expert to get their funding back, to give NASA a sparkling new national image and to ensure success at all costs. And that’s where marketing maven Kelly comes in. Her past suggests that she can sell almost anything to anyone, so surely she can throw the space race into high gear.

Kelly soon learns that her largest problem, though, isn’t the public, but the Space Center’s launch director, Cole Davis. He’s a Korean War veteran turned NASA scientist who stands proudly on his honor and ideals. And the last thing he wants getting in the way of the Cape Canaveral deadlines and launch goals is a Madison Avenue advertising woman waving around cameras and pitching Tang ads.

Personally, Cole couldn’t care less about publicity and ad campaigns. I mean, lives are on the line here! Astronauts smiling brightly from a box of breakfast cereal is of no importance. In fact, Cole hates the very idea.

So with that, an unstoppable force and an unmovable object are set to clash.

For his part, the slippery Moe Burkus isn’t concerned over who clashes or how the end goal is reached. If they need to simply fake the whole moon landing, Moe will be more than happy.

But who knows, maybe the Kelly and the Cole, as different as they seem on the surface, will find their own way through the obstacles before them.

After all, they say that love can send you … over the moon.

Positive Elements

In time, we learn that Kelly has been using her beauty and intelligence to manipulate people since she was a child. But at her core, she’s actually a good person who has no desire to hurt others. And she admits her flaws, makes self-sacrificial choices to fix deceptions she’s been a part of, and asks for forgiveness.

For his part, Cole is pretty much the polar opposite of Kelly. He’s an earnest man who cares dearly for the space program’s goals. And he carries the guilt of a past launch disaster that accidentally killed several astronauts, even though he wasn’t truly to blame. (Cole regularly plants flowers at the deceased astronauts’ memorial.)

In fact, Cole’s honesty and heart are both a large part of the reason that Kelly makes some changes in her life. That said, Cole can be a bit brusque and judgmental. And Kelly, together with NASA engineer Henry Smalls, help Cole see a new side to relying on and caring for others.

Henry Smalls, for his part, is a good man who cares deeply for Cole. (Cole took the time to comfort and care for his wife when Henry had a heart attack.) And it’s obvious that Henry loves his wife and children.

Spiritual Content

Kelly and Cole go to dinner with a senator who’s known for being against the space program. He says that being a politician is only his side job, his “true devotion is to Jesus.” (He motions to a life-sized portrait of Jesus in the dining room.) And the senator declares that the Apollo program “flies in the face of the Creator.”

However, Cole talks about his belief that going to space is actually a way to more fully experience God’s creative glory. He quotes Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” And he convinces both the senator and his wife that supporting the space program could be a godly choice. The senator later says that after “thought and prayer,” he decided to sign on to the Apollo 11 funding.

Afterward, Kelly praises Cole for conning the man the way he did. But Cole rejects that idea and declares that you don’t have to lie to convince someone of something. “Sometimes you simply need to be who you really are.”

Sexual Content

Kelly often wears stylish, formfitting dresses and outfits that emphasize her figure. (None of them are really revealing, other than one low-cut top.) Elsewhere, bikini-clad women gather around a motel swimming pool. Cole and Kelly embrace and kiss a couple of times.

Violent Content

In a flashback scene, we see a small fire break out in a space capsule cockpit. We then see flame and smoke and are told that the fiery accident led to the death of three men.

Cole uses a broom to detect a liquid hydrogen leak. In the process, he ignites a small explosion that sends him flying (he’s generally unharmed).

When Cole and Kelly first meet, she accidentally sets her book on fire. Then she tries to dowse small flames with her martini, which causes the book to burst into flame.

Earthbound astronauts crash their craft in a simulated landing. [Spoiler Warning] Then when they eventually do land on the moon, the landing is perilous (but eventually successful.)

During an interview (that Kelly convinced Cole to take), a news reporter cruelly pushes Cole to unpack his guilt over the accidentally killed astronauts. In response, Cole erupts in an uncharacteristic flare of anger and almost punches the guy.

Kelly drives Cole’s Camaro recklessly down a crowded street. Then she and two NASA engineers smash an electronics store window. Several people are told to keep the things they see quiet on the threat of being shot.

Crude or Profane Language

There’s not much profanity early on. But the dialogue is eventually spattered with one f-word, six s-words and one or two uses each of the words “d–n,” “a–,” “h—“and “b–ch. Jesus’ name is misused twice, and God’s name is misused five time (twice pairing it with “d—n.”)

Drug and Alcohol Content

Nearly every time we see Moe, he’s drinking shots of whiskey. At one point, he shares shots with a group of people around him. People also celebrate with glasses of champagne. Kelly has a taste for martinis, and we see her drinking them on several occasions.

During the course of the film, technicians and many others (including Henry Smalls) smoke cigarettes.

Other Negative Elements

Kelly lies repeatedly in pursuit of her goals. And Moe uses that tendency to convince Kelly (along with a bit of blackmail) to set up a secret film studio and create a fake moon-landing film. In fact, Moe states he’d prefer that they just broadcast the fake landing to the world since it would be much more controllable. (Eventually though, Cole and Kelly outwit the man.)

It’s winkingly implied that Republican politicians are either overly spiritual or war-focused hawks. One Senator, for instance, is sold on the program because he hopes that a “killer lunar” laser could eventually be based on the moon’s surface.

Kelly and two engineers steal a TV. We find out that Kelly’s single mom was forced to turn to cons and theft after Kelly’s dad deserted them. Eventually she was jailed for her crimes.

Conclusion

Here we have a very natty romantic comedy that lightly plays around with history while delivering an enjoyable late-‘60s vibe.

Fly Me to the Moon looks great, it keeps its booster rockets engaged for a brisk pace, and it features Scarlett Johansson in a very appealing role. In fact, in many ways this pic harkens back to the enjoyable romcoms that would draw eager crowds back in the time frame it portrays. There’s romance, silliness, humor, duplicitous choices and, of course, a sweet comeuppance.

The one unfortunate stumble here is the foul language that materializes late in the film like an unpleasant time-machine package from the future. It’s completely unnecessary stuff that earns this pic’s PG-13 rating while spoiling the fun for families that might otherwise have rocketed in with the kids in tow.