Romantic comedies are experiencing a sort of awesome resurgence. Remember those 1990s and 2000s rom-coms featuring prominent names such as Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts? They virtually disappeared around the mid-2000s as stars began to prefer genres like action and then in the 2010s, superhero movies. But now, they are slowly making a comeback. Fly Me to the Moon stars Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, charisma powerhouses themselves, and continues this welcome trend. Here, we explore the Fly Me to the Moon ending.
In recent times, we have seen movies like The Idea of You, starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine, featuring a sweet romance between an older woman and a younger man. There is also last year’s Anyone but You, starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, both rock-solid rom-coms. They worked not just because they were well made, but also because they had absolute charisma bombs as their leads.
What is Fly Me to the Moon all about?
It brings a modern twist to the classic rom-com formula by setting its love story against the grand backdrop of the 1960s Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union. Directed by Greg Berlanti (known for Love, Simon) and written by Rose Gilroy, the movie explores the ethical dilemma of truth versus deception in the high-stakes environment of NASA during the Apollo 11 mission (which put the first human being on the Moon) — besides the relationship, of course.
Fly Me to the Moon cast, plot and other details
Johansson plays the role of Kelly Jones, a savvy marketing specialist recruited to reshape and improve NASA’s public image. Tatum is Cole Davis, the director of the mission. She is basically a female Don Draper who could perhaps convince a cat to buy a doghouse (I exaggerate, for no self-respecting cat would descend this low). While the mission is good to go, a government agent called Moe Berkus (played by Woody Harrelson) wishes to ensure whatever happens to Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin (honestly, anything could have happened as there were many unknowns), America’s name shall not be besmirched in the eyes of rest of the world. And to that end, he arranges to — and bear with me here — fake the Moon landing as a backup plan. This was one of the reasons Kelly was hired.
A conflict between Kelly and Cole arises, though Fly Me to the Moon ends on a happy note. Let’s unpack that ending in detail.
Fly Me to the Moon ending explained: How honesty and romance land safely
What in the world was Project Artemis for?
Picture the 1960s. The US and the USSR are at each other’s throats and most of the world is divided into two blocs: you are either democratic or communist. The threat of nuclear war continues to loom over the world like clouds. Space Race is at its most intense. The movie posits that the Richard Nixon-led US government planned for an eventuality wherein if the Moon mission was unsuccessful, it could still be made to look successful by shooting a Moon landing on a soundstage. This is not what actually happened, just something the movie made up. The project is dubbed “Project Artemis”, named after the Greek goddess one of whose portfolios is the Moon. (A real Artemis programme started in 2017, where the goal is to establish a permanent presence on the Moon.)
Enter Jones, a peppy marketer who wishes to use astronauts to sell products as varied as underwear and Tang to fund the mission and only wants good-looking people to be the face of NASA. Not surprisingly, she immediately irks Cole, a straight shooter who believes in integrity and substance over style. She readily agrees to Moe’s pitch but clashes with Cole, who wants no fakery involved.
Was the Moon landing really faked?
No, and the movie does not even imply that. In fact, the movie makes fun of you, if you are one of those conspiracy theorists who believed human beings never landed on the Moon, and everything was shot by, say, Stanley Kubrick. Some will argue about anything, no matter how much evidence there is to the contrary. Flat Earthers are another example. This movie playfully teases this idea while celebrating the genuine achievement of Apollo 11’s historic mission.
The mystery of the black cat
Black cats are stunning beautiful felines who have sadly been demonised in almost every culture in the world as harbingers of bad tidings. When David spots the cat wandering around, he believes it to be bad luck, like most people. He does not want a repeat of Apollo 1, a prior Moon mission that ended in disaster after all three crew members died in a fire before the vehicle could even begin its flight. Later, however, the cat proves to be the saviour of the mission.
Kell and Cole win the day for NASA
Later in the film, Kelly has a change of heart and decides to come clean to Cole about the fake footage plan. Together, they devise a counter-strategy to ensure that the genuine Moon landing, if successful, is broadcast to the world. By that time, Moe has gone kind of insane and is convinced that it is the only way to guarantee American victory in the Space Race. Kelly and Cole then successfully connect the camera to the space shuttle so they can monitor both fake and real footage at the same time. Meanwhile, the cat crashes the spurious set, which confirms that the real footage is being aired and that Americans did, in fact, conquer the Moon.
What happens in Fly Me to the Moon ending?
At the end of Fly Me to the Moon, Kelly reveals that she has spent her entire career in advertising manipulating reality. She even got a new name — Kelly — and her real one was Winnie. The sincerity of Cole’s words causes him to reciprocate with acknowledgement of his own shortcomings and anxieties.
Is Fly Me to the Moon worth watching? A brief review
Fly Me to the Moon is an interesting mix of rom-com and history (without being too accurate, though). It features stellar performances from Johansson and Tatum, who bring oodles of charm and chemistry to their respective roles. Both are extremely good-looking as well, which is always a plus in romantic stories. The movie combines the tension of a possible Moon landing hoax with the real excitement and achievement of Apollo 11 and throws in some romance for good measure. Gilroy’s writing keeps things sharp and fun even when we have to stretch our imagination — trust me, if you’re after historical facts, you should look somewhere else.
The movie makes no pretensions of being historically accurate and is instead meant to be a clever, heartwarming and totally unserious love story. It also pokes fun at those who believe NASA and the US faked the Moon landing, though I fear their delusions will only be strengthened after watching it. The movie also has heart and is earnest without getting mushy.
(Hero and Featured image: Courtesy of Fly Me to the Moon/ IMDb)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The 'Fly Me to the Moon' song was originally sung by Kaye Ballard. However, Frank Sinatra's 1964 version is better known and was associated with the US lunar missions.
'Fly Me to the Moon' is about a romantic relationship between a marketing specialist and the director of NASA's Apollo 11 mission, which landed the first human being on the Moon.
Frank Sinatra's version is the most famous version of 'Fly Me to the Moon'.
The song remains popular because it became an unofficial anthem for American efforts to land the first human beings on the Moon before the Soviet Union. Earlier, the Soviets had defeated the US by getting the first man, Yuri Gagrin, to outer space.
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Kshitij is a journalism graduate who did not initially intend to become a film critic, but such are the vagaries of destiny. Now, Kshitij is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and a member of the Film Critics Guild, bringing expertise and experience in evaluating entertainment content with him. Additionally, he serves as a jury member on the Critics' Choice Awards in India. When he's not busy wielding words, catch him nose-deep in books or joyfully lost in the realms of gaming and photography.
