Neil Armstrong walked on the moon in July 1969, just two months before I was born. I always felt a connection to the event, a birth of its own right. Space exploration continues today while National Moon Day annually commemorates its origin, the day man first walked on the moon, many moons ago. 

 

The movie has landed. 

 

With one small step for heartstrings and one giant leap for laughter, Apple Studio’s smart comedy Fly Me to the Moonarrived in theaters on July 11 and tells the story of Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson), a marketing maven who is brought in to fix NASA’s public image much to the chagrin of launch director Cole Davis (Channing Tatum).

 

The movie centered on a historical event but often blurred the line between fiction and reality. I don’t know a Gen Xer alive that didn’t beg their parents to buy Tang, the astronaut’s drink. But while marketing wasn’t created for the space race, there’s no doubt that companies took full advantage when the astronauts used their products and marketed accordingly. 

 

The chemistry between Johansson and Tatum sizzles, but so does every other scene Johansson is in. This is truly her movie and awards will be forthcoming. 

 

The entire cast deserves the best ensemble award as they seamlessly play off each other, with witty dialogue and undeniable charisma. Jim Rash (director Lance) Woody Harrelson (Moe Berkus), and Ray Romano (Henry Smalls) bring their sitcom humor to the big screen while LSU grad Donald Elise Watkins, Anna Garcia, and Noah Robbins infuse youth into the space movie.

 

The feel-good film takes you back in time and will have you cheering for Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins like it was yesterday.