Fly Me To the Moon movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Fly Me To the Moon

The family-friendly movie about the race to the moon premiere’s in theaters on July 12, 2024.

RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 2 hours 12 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: A

SPONSOR of Today’s movie review:

With full cooperation from NASA, this series tells the complete story of the Apollo missions: https://amzn.to/3WexRsh

IN A NUTSHELL:

The story is about marketing maven, Kelly Jones, who wreaks havoc on Apollo 11’s launch director’s already difficult task of landing on the moon in 1969. When the White House deems the mission too important to fail, the countdown between fact and fiction truly begins.

The fun flick was directed by Greg Berlanti. Writing credits go to Keenan Flynn, Rose Gilroy, and Bill Kirstein.

Already, the movie has been nominated for Best Comedy and Best Romance by the Golden Trailer Awards. The movie takes true history and massages it into a fun romantic comedy with heart. I really liked it and have been surprised at how low other film critics have rated it.

THINGS I LIKED:

The cast is fantastic and includes Scarlett Johannson, Channing Tatum, Woody Harrelson, Ray Romano, Jim Rash, and a fun cameo from SNL’s news anchor Colin Jost.
Scarlett Johansson has always been beautiful to look at, but she has become a truly fine actress. She gives an outstanding performance and is the heart of this movie. She also worked as one of the producers on the film.
I love the line on the movie poster that asks, “Will they make it or fake it?” The film takes advantage of old conspiracy theories about faking the moon landing by offering it some legitimacy, and making it fun and clever.
We get to go to NASA in Cocoa Beach, Florida. My husband and I went on the tour for the general public a few years ago and left very impressed. How could we not? Everything there feels bigger than life.
I love the little details and research that went into this film. For example, they show a party at NASA and we see popular food on the tables such as “Pigs in a Blanket”, Jello molds, and other dishes from the 1960s.
We get to see some clips from the real footage of the Apollo 11 launch. Amazing.
There’s a black cat in the movie that plays a bigger role than you think it would. Cats have been showing up in a lot of movies lately, like the most recent A Quiet Place: Day One, Argylle, and, of course, The Garfield Movie.
Despite the long length of the movie, the time flew by and I didn’t even look at the time once. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.
Fun fact: The movie was originally going to go straight to streaming but, after testing it with audiences who loved it, it was decided to launch with a theater premiere. Good choice! Any movie about going to the moon should be seen on the biggest screen possible, right?
The humor is smart and doesn’t talk down to the audience.
The costume designs by Mary Zophres really take you back to the 1960s.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

You KNOW there will be people who watch this movie who will believe it’s 100% fact.
We don’t get to see the talented Ray Romano do much in his small role.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Young kids will be bored. Teens might get a kick out of it if they can stay off their phones for more than a minute.
A public affairs lady lies and twists the truth in her marketing efforts.
Some profanity
Smoking
Alcohol
Dishonesty

THEMES:

Moon landing
Public relations
Honesty
Promises
The Space Race (America vs. Russia)

FUNNY LINES:

“You know what they say about black cats?” – Ruby (Anna Garcia) “If they cross your path, they’re probably going somewhere else.” – Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson)
“Is she fired? Are we fired?” – Henry Smalls (Ray Romano)
“She teared up. Man, that’s scary.” – Henry Smalls (Ray Romano)
“I’ll call you Joseph so you can’t take anything personally.” – Lance Vespertine (Jim Rash)
“This is what happens when you work for Richard Nixon.” – Ruby (Anna Garcia)
“I’d say it was nice to meet you, but so far, it is not.” – Lance Vespertine (Jim Rash)
“If you ever need me, just holler; I’m probably listening.” – Moe Burkus (Woody Harrelson)

INTERESTING LINES:

“Don’t take it personally. Pilots fight gravity. It’s part of their nature.” – Moe Burkus (Wood Harrelson)
“We all learn how to survive, plus we all have our share of tough breaks.” – Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johannson)
“I just don’t think that our sad stories are supposed to teach us how to survive in the world. I think they’re supposed to make us want to change it.” – Cole Davis (Channing Tatum)
“I didn’t cause the world a dream because I lost my *** cool.” – Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johannson)
“You know, there’s a war on religion in this country, and some say science is to blame.” – Senator Vanning (Joe Chrest) “Well, science is what brought us to this table.” – Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johannson)
“The heavens declare the glory of God.” – Cole Davis (Channing Tatum)
“For the record, you can win people over just by being who you are.” – Cole Davis (Channing Tatum)
“Yesterday was science fiction. Today is fact.” – news announcer
“I learned what it was like to be a part of something real.” – Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johannson)
“The truth is still the truth even if nobody believes it. A lie I s still a lie, even if everybody believes it.” – Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johannson)