film review – Fly me to the moon
Fly Me To The Moon (M)
Directed by: Greg Berlanti
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum
Review by: Julian Wright
How about a good old fashioned, feel-great Hollywood romance with a large scale, historical backdrop to warm you up this winter.
It is 1969, and the race between the USA and Soviet Union to be the first in the moon is heating up but the enormously expensive competition is quickly losing support from the public, who are being confronted with footage from the Vietnam War.
It is hard to support the spending of billions to send men to the moon when there are atrocities happening on Earth.
When NASA hire a spunky marketing wiz Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson) to “sell” the moon landing to the American public, she and her methods immediately clash with by-the-book launch director Cole Davis (Channing Tatum).
To make matters worse, Kelly is ordered to mock up a fake moon landing just in case the real one does not work out.
Johansson is having the time of her life with a progressive and feminist role among men and an era with traditional values.
She brings intelligence and wit to her role and is clearly having a fun with the feisty dialogue she is gifted by scriptwriter Rose Gilroy.
No only is Johansson’s charm factor ramped up to 100, but she is matched by Tatum’s big screen appeal.
The two spar and sparks definitely fly, creating one of the most entertaining dynamics on-screen at the moment.
The scale is huge and the stakes are high, so by the time we get to the third act, this fun rom-com has slowly morphed into a mega-blockbuster affair – but director Greg Berlanti ensures the story is about emotion as it is action.
The cast and crew beautifully re-capture the charming look and feel of movies of the era this story is set, creating a nice breath of fresh air for the cineplex.
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