Fly Me to the Moon (2024) is a fictional romantic comedy-drama set inside the public-relations machinery of NASA’s Apollo 11 mission. Scarlett Johansson plays Kelly Jones, a gifted marketing specialist brought in to repair NASA’s image, while Channing Tatum plays Cole Davis, the launch director responsible for getting Apollo 11 safely off the ground.
Although the film borrows the real Apollo program and the long-running Moon-landing conspiracy theory, it is not a documentary, a true-story account, or evidence that the Apollo 11 landing was staged. Its invented characters and conspiracy plot are used to build a period workplace romance with a political thriller running underneath.
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What is Fly Me to the Moon about?
The story takes place during the final preparations for Apollo 11. NASA is technically focused on the mission, but its public image is in trouble. Kelly Jones arrives with a practical brief: make the space agency more appealing to a skeptical American audience and turn the moon landing into a television event people will believe in.
Cole Davis has a very different priority. As launch director, he is concerned with engineering, safety and the pressure placed on the mission team. He sees Kelly’s publicity work as a distraction from the enormous technical risks facing the astronauts and their colleagues. Their conflict gradually becomes a relationship, but neither can fully separate personal feelings from the jobs they have been ordered to do.
The central complication comes from Moe Berkus, a White House official played by Woody Harrelson. He instructs Kelly to prepare a filmed version of the Moon landing as an insurance policy. If Apollo 11 fails, the staged footage could be broadcast to preserve American confidence. The film leaves open the more troubling possibility that the fake landing might be used even if the real mission succeeds.
That premise allows the movie to move between romance, newsroom-style public relations, government secrecy and a caper involving a deliberately constructed lunar set. It is less interested in reconstructing the technical details of Apollo 11 than in asking how a historic event becomes a piece of television—and who controls the story when millions of people are watching.
Cast and characters
| Actor | Character | Role in the story |
|---|---|---|
| Scarlett Johansson | Kelly Jones | A marketing specialist hired to improve NASA’s public image and manage the Apollo 11 broadcast. |
| Channing Tatum | Cole Davis | NASA’s disciplined launch director and Kelly’s professional and romantic counterpart. |
| Woody Harrelson | Moe Berkus | A White House representative who oversees the contingency plan for a staged landing. |
| Jim Rash | Lance Vespertine | A flamboyant commercial director brought into the publicity operation. |
| Ray Romano | Henry Smalls | A member of the NASA team working alongside Cole. |
Johansson also produced the film. Greg Berlanti directed it from a screenplay by Rose Gilroy, based on a story by Bill Kirstein and Keenan Flynn. Apple Studios produced the movie.
Rank #2
- Fly Me to the Moon (2D & 3D) (3D)
- Fly Me to the Moon (2D & 3D)
Is Fly Me to the Moon based on a true story?
No. Kelly Jones, Cole Davis and the government-backed fake-landing operation are fictional. The film places those inventions against real historical circumstances: Apollo 11 launched during the Space Race, NASA relied heavily on television coverage to communicate with the public, and the mission involved a vast workforce of scientists, engineers, administrators and contractors.
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The movie’s staged-landing idea comes from the real conspiracy theory that NASA fabricated the Moon landing. That theory is not supported by the historical record. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed in the Sea of Tranquility, while Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit. Fly Me to the Moon uses the conspiracy as a narrative device; it should not be read as a dramatization of a documented government operation or as a suggestion that Apollo 11 was fake.
How historical is the Apollo 11 setting?
The setting draws on genuine features of the Apollo era. NASA did have to explain complex missions to a mass audience, and the success of Apollo 11 carried enormous political significance during the United States’ competition with the Soviet Union. Television was central to the public experience of the mission, making the question of presentation especially useful for the screenplay.
Rank #3
- SSA
- Pages: 8
- Voicing: SSA
However, the film is not a detailed historical reconstruction. Its fictional characters, romantic plot and secret production operation take precedence over a precise account of NASA’s decision-making. Viewers looking for the actual mission should treat the movie as a companion to, rather than a substitute for, documentaries and primary material about Apollo 11.
Release, runtime and rating
- Director: Greg Berlanti
- Country: United States
- Language: English
- Theatrical release: July 12, 2024, in the United States
- Streaming debut: Apple TV+ on December 6, 2024
- Rating: PG-13 for some strong language and smoking
- Runtime: Approximately 2 hours 11–12 minutes, depending on the listing
- Filming location: Georgia
Apple’s listing gives the runtime as 2 hours 11 minutes, while theatrical listings commonly give 2 hours 12 minutes. The difference is minor, but it is why the film should not be assigned one definitive 131- or 132-minute figure without qualification.
Box office and reception
Fly Me to the Moon opened in 3,356 U.S. theaters and earned $9,402,176 during its domestic opening. Its final reported totals were $20,532,222 in North America, $21,728,312 internationally and $42,260,534 worldwide.
Rank #4
Critical reaction was mixed, while audiences were more favorable. At the time of the supplied research check, Rotten Tomatoes listed the film at 66% from critics and 89% from verified audience ratings. Metacritic listed a critic score of 53 out of 100. These scores are database snapshots and may change as reviews or ratings are added.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why it may interest documentary viewers
The film is most useful to documentary audiences as a fictional reflection on historical storytelling. Its strongest subject is not whether the Moon landing happened, but how institutions create public narratives around high-stakes events. NASA’s engineering work, the White House’s political concerns and the television industry’s appetite for a clean dramatic image all collide in the story.
That makes it a natural double feature with a factual Apollo 11 documentary. Watch the fictional film for its questions about media, persuasion and institutional trust, then compare its invented operation with the documented mission. The contrast makes clear which parts belong to the historical record and which exist purely for entertainment.
Best Value
- Take me to the moon
- Product Type: PHYSICAL_MOVIE
- Brand: EuroArts
FAQ
Is Fly Me to the Moon a documentary?
No. It is a fictional 2024 romantic comedy-drama directed by Greg Berlanti. It uses the real Apollo 11 mission as its setting but invents its main characters and conspiracy plot.
Did NASA really film a fake Moon landing as a backup?
There is no documented Apollo 11 operation matching the film’s government-backed fake-landing plan. The idea is based on the Moon-landing hoax conspiracy theory and is used as fiction in the movie.
Where can I watch Fly Me to the Moon?
The film made its global streaming debut on Apple TV+ on December 6, 2024. Apple’s U.S. listing offers it through an Apple TV subscription; availability can vary by country and may change.
Who stars in Fly Me to the Moon?
Scarlett Johansson stars as Kelly Jones and Channing Tatum as Cole Davis. The supporting cast includes Woody Harrelson as Moe Berkus, Jim Rash as Lance Vespertine and Ray Romano as Henry Smalls.
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Fly Me to the Moon is best approached as a fictional Apollo-era romance and media satire, not as a historical account. Its use of the Moon-landing conspiracy makes for an entertaining plot engine, but the real Apollo 11 landing was not faked. For documentary viewers, the film’s value lies in the conversation it opens about public relations, television and the way major events are packaged for a mass audience.
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