Sometimes you’ve just got to go with it…

While there’s nothing about Fly Me To The Moon that’s terribly original as it tries to give us something that feels like The Right Stuff or Capricorn One by way of Frank Capra as it brings together two insufferable gorgeous people and gives them an excuse to flirt with each other for 2 hours, it’s kind of hard to argue with it because when done right and never taking itself too seriously, that can actually be pretty fun.

Brought in to fix NASA’s public image, sparks fly in all directions as marketing maven Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson) wreaks havoc on launch director Cole Davis’s (Channing Tatum) already difficult task. When the White House deems the mission too important to fail, Jones is directed to stage a fake moon landing as back-up and the countdown truly begins.

With a flow that mirrors anything from a classic Doris Day or Cary Grant romantic comedic romp in the style of George Cukor; Fly Me To The Moon is less about the originality or believability of the story but more about the magnetic charm that can be generated on screen by the likes of Tatum and Scarlett Johansson (who also has a producer credit on the film).  They are magnetic enough on their own, but together they are pretty undeniable.

Dripping with style and lush visuals, director Greg Berlanti and his production design team really spare no expense to make the colour pattern of the time really pop like it is a character unto its own.  Berlanti knows to let his team shine as he elevates it all; mostly by managing to stay out his own teams way.  The screenplay from first time writer Rose Gilroy shows it’s pedigree as she’s the daughter of Oscar nominated Dan Gilroy, who is married to Rene Russo has noted screenwriter Tony Gilroy as an uncle, so there’s no denying the pedigree running through her pen.  Even at a bloated 132 min running time, the picture has a genuine flow to it that never once gets dull thanks to its snappy pacing and an invested ensemble.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been well over twenty years since Scarlett Johansson dominated our screens back in 2003’s Lost In Translation but here as she well earned her screen icon status we marvel at her owning the screening, basically doing whatever the hell she wants on screen.  Bringing a Don Draper swagger to her Kelly Jones added a layer to what we ultimately find out is a very vulnerable past that she is running from.  Pairing that with Tatum’s Cole Davis who is having a hard time shaking the failures of the past in order to live his, and the dreams of all the people who work for him makes for a beautifully flawed dynamic on screen.  We know objectively that seeing these two ridiculously good looking people flirt and trade banter with one another is a little silly…but we also know that we really don’t want to look away from it either.

Woody Harrelson adds some fun layers as the nefarious governmental nemesis, while the always loveable Ray Romano and Jim Rash round out the ensemble cast in perfect support to what Tatum but more importantly Johansson do on the screen.

At the end of the day, Fly Me To The Moon is Scarlett’s movie as she is the sun for which all the other characters orbit as she manages to channel some classic Hollywood storytelling vibes while still rubbing a little Ry humor and sass on it all.