How Fly Me to the Moon Attempts to Handle Danger of the Moon Landing Conspiracy Theory
In the film’s Olympic levels of contortions, we learn that while NASA really is attempting to land Apollo 11 on the moon, a shady Mr. Fix-It for the Nixon administration (Woody Harrelson) forces Johansson’s con-woman-turned-NASA publicist into staging a fake moon landing on a soundstage at Cape Kennedy. Initially, this is to only be used if “something” vaguely goes wrong on the mission. However, as the fateful day grows closer, Johansson’s Kelly is ordered to use the soundstage no matter what happens—to the point where the plan is to illicitly pipe in the audio of the real Armstrong moonwalk while replicating it almost gesture-by-gesture on the soundstage with actors.
It should be noted this is executed entirely behind the backs of Armstrong, Aldrin, and all major NASA personnel, including Channing Tatum’s Cole Davis (a thinly fictionalized version of Deke Slayton). Hence the movie’s third act rom-com conflict after Cole finds out Kelly is using her silver-tongued duplicity to turn NASA into conspiratorial liars.
Fortunately, the big twist of the movie is the moon landing—at least seen on television and remembered in the history books—is not faked. Instead Kelly, Cole, and a few other NASA personnel conspire to sabotage the equipment designed to only broadcast the fake moon landing on live television. And through some narrative contrivances, the characters become unsure of which footage is playing on TV screens and which is real. Luckily, they get their answer after the fake moon landing devolves into disaster because a black cat running around Cape Kennedy wanders onto the soundstage and manages to run into the camera frame and beneath the legs of “Armstrong.” Yet when all the characters, including a fuming Nixon button man played by Harrelson, realize the cat isn’t on television, they and the audience can be relieved to know that the moon landing immortalized in history books is the real deal.
Thus Fly Me to the Moon is able to indulge in the popular moon landing conspiracy theory while also “debunking” it in a film that is visibly intended to be a love letter to NASA and the space program.
To be honest though, we found the execution leaves something to be desired. While a comedic and lighthearted rendering of the Apollo program makes for a frothy opening 60 minutes, trying to weave that workplace sitcom setup into a conspiracy theory satire reminiscent of Barry Levinson’s Wag the Dog (another ‘90s throwback), as well as a rather flat rom-com pairing between Johansson and Tatum, ends up knotted and uneven. A mirthful spin on the rah-rah-rah patriotism of The Right Stuff, or the brooding dourness of First Man, is welcome after five decades of reverence paid to the Apollo mission. And Fly Me to the Moon finds a playful way to still tip its hat… but only after dropping it on a floor covered in (fake moon) dust.
The movie is also aware of the dangerous idea it’s playing with in a century where misinformation and delusion run rampant in our online lives. Yet while it walks a delicate tightrope from one side to the other, the sight is more strained and awkward than amusing. It might stick the landing, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t moments where it looked lost in space.
