Abigail Whitehurst is an entertainment professional and writer for Hollywood Insider based in Los Angeles, CA. Having lived all over the world as part of a military family and having pursued a bachelors of music, she brings a unique outlook to the entertainment industry. A life-long learner and researcher, Abigail is pursuing her masters in entertainment management. She strives to write through the lenses of context, analysis, and Hollywood Insider’s values to bring a fresh perspective to industry trends, entertainment business, and new film and TV releases. Her favorite place is a movie theater, and she’s always hunting for the deeper meaning and studying media as it pertains to culture. Film, TV, and interactive media are some of the most impactful artforms of our day, and they are worth digging into and analyzing. Everything is connected, whether it’s through Bacon numbers or history. When she’s not writing or at the movies, you can find Abbie crocheting or playing video games with her partner.
Jul 24, 2024
Table of Contents
Greg Berlanti aims high with ‘Fly Me to the Moon’, and the part romance, part period, part thriller, all high concept space-race picture for Apple Original Films lands him among the stars. Though pitched as a rom-com, arguably it’s more of an irreverent period comedy that asks questions more relevant than ever about media, authenticity, and truth… with a side of star-studded romance. Despite some rough edges, the great cast and characters, historical easter eggs, and beautiful visual design really bring this romp to the moon to life. If you went to space camp as a kid, this one’s for you.
It’s 1969. Nixon is president, cars come in more than three colors, and Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson) is a high profile marketing expert in New York City at the top of her game selling ad campaigns to companies at the top of theirs. Until, she’s recruited (pronounced “blackmailed”) to fix NASA’s public image ahead of the Apollo 10 and 11 missions by the vaguely threatening, top-secret-clearance-holding Moe Berkus (Woody Harrelson). Meanwhile in Cape Canaveral (called Cape Kennedy at the time), Cole Davis (Channing Tatum) is struggling to lead a NASA that has lost its spark, not to mention its funding, closing the door inch by inch on Kennedy’s promise to put an American on the moon before the decade is out. Though sparks fly at their first meeting, tensions rise as they start working together. Kelly will say or do anything to make the sale, but Cole is honest nearly to a fault. Despite the discord between them, they manage to turn NASA’s image around, keep the lights on, go on a couple dates, and shape an America that roots for Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrin. But the space race isn’t just about being the first to the moon. It’s about whose ideology wins, that of a communist Russia or a democratic America. And in Moe’s eyes, it’s too big a risk to rely on the real thing. When Kelly is made to orchestrate a back-up version of the moon landing behind Cole’s back at the peril of her past being exposed, the real (fake?) story is just beginning.
Audiences have seen the space-race dramatized and reimagined dozens of times, as evidenced by one of the July 8th Jeopardy! categories presented by Johansson describing other films about the Apollo missions, but a rom-com take on the moon landing is unique if nothing else. At times, the film does flip between styles rather than blending them into one cohesive Franken-genre, giving away that the project was originally intended for streaming and that Berlanti comes from a television background, but the story by Keenan Flynn, Rose Gilroy, and Bill Kirstein hangs together and gives the cast plenty of room to show off the breadth of their skills. Johansson’s arsenal of emotions and southern accents are on full display as her character talks herself into and out of sticky situations, while Tatum brings personality and even some laugh-out-loud moments to a straight-laced veteran type. Harrelson is also extremely convincing as a shady government agent, pushing the story along from the shadows and appearing out of thin air every once in a while to hold Kelly’s past mistakes over her head. Rounding out the cast are Ray Romano, Anna Garcia, and Jim Rash as the particularly memorable and flamboyant Lance Vespertine, the “Kubrick of Commercials”, a genuinely funny character that hits the stereotypical diva director archetype just right, and nods to the popular conspiracy theory that Stanley Kubrick directed a fake moon landing in real life.
The most memorable feature of Fly Me to the Moon is absolutely the visual design. Newsreel, photos, and video from the era are blended seamlessly with the graphic style Kelly uses in-universe for her ad campaigns, enhancing one’s immersion in the sights and sounds of the late sixties. Rockets being built at mach-time lapse in the background as Tatum and Romano march across screen, rainbows of classic cars, stylish candy-colored mid-century wardrobes, and the incredible intro sequence accent a piece of history most think about in black-and-white television snippets, drab gray rocket hangars, and pale blue dots on eternal fields of empty space. The score by Daniel Pemberton and thoughtful music selections tie everything together and cement the tone of the film, even though Frank Sinatra’s iconic tune doesn’t appear until the very end (and it’s sung by Harrelson, not Ol’ Blue Eyes).
When it comes to a movie about one of the biggest conspiracy theories of all time, it’s initially surprising that NASA was on board with the idea. But, NASA’s involvement and on-set historians enhance the film with never-before-seen archival footage and integral supervision, as well as driving home the central message of the importance of truth, authenticity, and focus among distractions, noise, and falsehoods. It’s a message more relevant than ever in a world where media relies so heavily on marketing and ad dollars, where details get glossed over to make a sale, and where there is so much going on in the world that it’s hard to keep the important issues in sight, not to mention we may very well be in a 21st century space race already. Marketing makes the world go round, but it was refreshing to take a step back and enjoy an original screenplay that puts the media landscape of both the 1960s and the present into perspective.
This fictionalized account of the Apollo 11 mission isn’t trying to convince anyone that NASA didn’t actually put a man on the moon, or make anyone guess what the ending is. Of course the astronauts make it! The real tension lies in what’s going on down on Earth, the pressures on the mission and on our heroes. For a fun original film worth seeing in a theater, spend a couple hours with this lovable cast and witty story.
Click here to read The Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase’s love letter to Cinema, TV and Media. An excerpt from the love letter: The Hollywood Insider’s CEO/editor-in-chief Pritan Ambroase affirms, “We have the space and time for all your stories, no matter who/what/where you are. Media/Cinema/TV have a responsibility to better the world and The Hollywood Insider will continue to do so. Talent, diversity and authenticity matter in Cinema/TV, media and storytelling. In fact, I reckon that we should announce “talent-diversity-authenticity-storytelling-Cinema-Oscars-Academy-Awards” as synonyms of each other. We show respect to talent and stories regardless of their skin color, race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, etc., thus allowing authenticity into this system just by something as simple as accepting and showing respect to the human species’ factual diversity. We become greater just by respecting and appreciating talent in all its shapes, sizes, and forms. Award winners, which includes nominees, must be chosen on the greatness of their talent ALONE.
I am sure I am speaking for a multitude of Cinema lovers all over the world when I speak of the following sentiments that this medium of art has blessed me with. Cinema taught me about our world, at times in English and at times through the beautiful one-inch bar of subtitles. I learned from the stories in the global movies that we are all alike across all borders. Remember that one of the best symbols of many great civilizations and their prosperity has been the art they have left behind. This art can be in the form of paintings, sculptures, architecture, writings, inventions, etc. For our modern society, Cinema happens to be one of them. Cinema is more than just a form of entertainment, it is an integral part of society. I love the world uniting, be it for Cinema, TV, media, art, fashion, sport, etc. Please keep this going full speed.”
Abigail Whitehurst is an entertainment professional and writer for Hollywood Insider based in Los Angeles, CA. Having lived all over the world as part of a military family and having pursued a bachelors of music, she brings a unique outlook to the entertainment industry. A life-long learner and researcher, Abigail is pursuing her masters in entertainment management. She strives to write through the lenses of context, analysis, and Hollywood Insider’s values to bring a fresh perspective to industry trends, entertainment business, and new film and TV releases. Her favorite place is a movie theater, and she’s always hunting for the deeper meaning and studying media as it pertains to culture. Film, TV, and interactive media are some of the most impactful artforms of our day, and they are worth digging into and analyzing. Everything is connected, whether it’s through Bacon numbers or history. When she’s not writing or at the movies, you can find Abbie crocheting or playing video games with her partner.
Abigail Whitehurst is an entertainment professional and writer for Hollywood Insider based in Los Angeles, CA. Having lived all over the world as part of a military family and having pursued a bachelors of music, she brings a unique outlook to the entertainment industry. A life-long learner and researcher, Abigail is pursuing her masters in entertainment management. She strives to write through the lenses of context, analysis, and Hollywood Insider’s values to bring a fresh perspective to industry trends, entertainment business, and new film and TV releases. Her favorite place is a movie theater, and she’s always hunting for the deeper meaning and studying media as it pertains to culture. Film, TV, and interactive media are some of the most impactful artforms of our day, and they are worth digging into and analyzing. Everything is connected, whether it’s through Bacon numbers or history. When she’s not writing or at the movies, you can find Abbie crocheting or playing video games with her partner.
Abigail Whitehurst is an entertainment professional and writer for Hollywood Insider based in Los Angeles, CA. Having lived all over the world as part of a military family and having pursued a bachelors of music, she brings a unique outlook to the entertainment industry. A life-long learner and researcher, Abigail is pursuing her masters in entertainment management. She strives to write through the lenses of context, analysis, and Hollywood Insider’s values to bring a fresh perspective to industry trends, entertainment business, and new film and TV releases. Her favorite place is a movie theater, and she’s always hunting for the deeper meaning and studying media as it pertains to culture. Film, TV, and interactive media are some of the most impactful artforms of our day, and they are worth digging into and analyzing. Everything is connected, whether it’s through Bacon numbers or history. When she’s not writing or at the movies, you can find Abbie crocheting or playing video games with her partner.
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