Movie · 2024 · Romance, Comedy · 2h 12m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 2.3/10 (230.9K ratings)
Will they make history... or fake it?
Overview
Sparks fly in all directions as marketing maven Kelly Jones, brought in to fix NASA's public image, wreaks havoc on Apollo 11 launch director Cole Davis' already difficult task of putting a man on the moon. When the White House deems the mission too important to fail, Jones is directed to stage a fake moon landing as backup, and the countdown truly begins.
Ratings
Curator score: 2.3/10
IMDb: 6.6/10
Letterboxd: 3.11/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 66%
Metacritic: 53
TMDB: 6.8/10
Director
Greg Berlanti
Production
These Pictures, Berlanti Productions, Apple Studios
Cast
Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Woody Harrelson, Ray Romano, Jim Rash, Anna Garcia, Donald Watkins, Noah Robbins, Christian Clemenson, Colin Woodell, Nick Dillenburg, Christian Zuber, Gene Jones, Joe Chrest, Stephanie Kurtzuba, Colin Jost, Dariusz Wolski, Njema Williams, Peter Jacobson, Lauren Revard
Where to watch
Apple TV Plus
Curator Review
Verdict
A breezy, old-school star vehicle with enough charm, wit, and retro polish to work as a light crowd-pleaser, even if its tonal juggling act and contrived premise keep it from fully taking off. It’s best enjoyed as a glossy romantic comedy with a conspiracy-movie hook rather than a serious Apollo drama.
Best for
Viewers who like slick studio rom-coms with a period setting
Fans of charismatic lead chemistry and banter
People in the mood for a light, escapist movie with nostalgia appeal
Audiences open to a playful, knowingly artificial premise
Skip if
You want a rigorous or emotionally deep historical film
You’re allergic to high-concept plotting and studio-movie polish
You prefer comedy that stays sharper or more grounded
You need the romance or satire to feel fully convincing
Overview
Fly Me to the Moon is built like a throwback: glossy, star-driven, and engineered to make a big premise feel easy. The movie’s strongest asset is its chemistry and its sense of play, especially when it leans into banter, image-making, and the absurdity of selling a national myth as a marketing problem.
Worth noting
It also feels slightly divided against itself. The romance, workplace comedy, and moon-landing conspiracy angle all have enough juice to be interesting, but the film keeps switching gears instead of fully committing to one lane. That makes it entertaining more often than it is truly satisfying.
Bottom line
Still, there’s a real pleasure in how confidently it reaches for a bygone kind of studio entertainment. If you want something polished, light on its feet, and easy to watch, it delivers. If you want historical tension or emotional depth, it’s more of a near miss than a landing.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Reece (3.5★) · 3789 likes
a really sweet and fun movie that would’ve made 150 million domestic if released in 1992
MarMar · 2745 likes
Oppenheimer for people who thought the moon landing was fake.
Sydney🚀 (3★) · 2642 likes
Did humans come in the size of Channing Tatum in the 60s he looks like a time traveler
Matthew Lewis (4★) · 1622 likes
Woody Harrelson calls a cat a Bitch.
rickyfonseca (3★) · 1522 likes
She's Everything. He's just Cole.
This is Scarlett Johansson's film. She carries this film with her charm and her outfits. I also need to rewatch this one with some hot chocolate and pijamas.
A more serious, expansive look at the mythology and pressure surrounding America’s space program, with a strong sense of period detail and public spectacle.
If the appeal is the intersection of science, politics, and public belief, this offers a more thoughtful and emotionally resonant version of that terrain.