Fly Me to the Moon is a romantic comedy with a lot to love. Starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, it is a satire about the conspiracy theory that the Apollo 11 moon landing was faked. This is not the first movie to use the backdrop of space to tell an outrageous and charming story. Fly Me to the Moon uses a real historical moment to tell a comedic story and develop a romance between two fictional characters.
For fans of Fly Me to the Moon, there are lots of fun and poignant stories set against the backdrop of space and the Apollo program in particular. Some, like Argo, are about real-life actions that the CIA has taken to accomplish a mission that seems outlandish. Others, like First Man, are reflections of the real people involved in the Apollo space program and the courage and tragedy that they faced in their personal lives.
10'The Lost City' (2022)
Directed by Aaron Nee and Adam Nee
Image via Paramount Pictures
The Lost City is an action and adventure movie starring Sandra Bullock, who plays romance novelist Loretta Sage, and Channing Tatum, the cover model for Loretta's novels. While on a book tour, the two must evade a billionaire who tries to get Loretta to find the location of a valuable ancient artifact that she describes in one of her books. Loretta's books come to life as a romantic adventure ensues, with many speed bumps along the way.
For fans of Channing Tatum's performances, The Lost City is a delightful showcase of his abilities. Tatum combines his talents as a romantic lead as well as an action star in this movie. The Lost City is also similar to Fly Me to the Moon in that it showcases a romance between two people who don't fully trust one another at the beginning of the story. However, each romantic duo must make use of their wild circumstances to come together and fall in love in the midst of lots of chaos.
'Rough Night' (2017)
Directed by Lucia Aniello
Image via Sony
Rough Night is a black comedy that follows the attendees of a bachelorette party after a male stripper's death. It stars Scarlett Johansson, Kate McKinnon, Jillian Bell, Ilana Glazer, and Zoë Kravitz. While this group of college friends bond over an upcoming wedding, a hired male stripper ends up dying accidentally while the friends are high on cocaine. Chaos ensues as the friends try to figure out how to navigate the aftermath.
Rough Night showcases Scarlett Johansson's comedic abilities. Johansson may be known for more serious roles, but she has the range to handle comedy. Even against the backdrop of a pretty dark story, Johansson is able to play off of her co-stars and showcase her own talent for comedic timing. Johansson highlights her character Jess's availability to jump into the middle of an unfolding drama, which is similar to her character in Fly Me to the Moon.
'Moonwalkers' (2015)
Directed by Antoine Bardou-Jacquet
Image via Alchemy
Moonwalkers stars Ron Perlman, Robert Sheehan, and Harry Potter star Rupert Grint. The movie follows CIA agent Tom Kidman in the lead-up to the planned Apollo 11 moon landing. Kidman has to hire acclaimed director Stanley Kubrick to stage a moon landing in the event that the Apollo 11 mission fails. Kidman's mission is made more difficult by the fact that he is suffering from PTSD, which is unbeknownst to the CIA.
"While the mishaps and hijinks in Moonwalkers may not compare to those in Fly Me to the Moon , they provide an interesting thought experiment."
For those who enjoyed Fly Me to the Moon's satirical take on the Apollo 11 mission, Moonwalkers has a similar tone. Like Fly Me to the Moon, Moonwalkers tries to capture the vast effort that would be required for the government of the United States to fake a moon landing, particularly in the 1960s with the technology and resources that were available at the time. While the mishaps and hijinks in Moonwalkers may not compare to those in Fly Me to the Moon, they provide an interesting thought experiment.
'Operation Avalanche' (2015)
Directed by Matt Johnson
Image via Lionsgate Premiere
Operation Avalanche is a found-footage thriller by Canadian director Matt Johnson. Johnson also stars in the movie, which follows a group of CIA agents who infiltrate NASA in an effort to find a Soviet mole. The agents discover that NASA was poorly equipped to make the moon landing mission successful. To cover this up, a plan emerges to film a believable version of the moon landing since NASA's abilities are behind.
…anyone who is a fan of a good conspiracy theory will find much to love in this chaotic, tense story…
Operation Avalanche is another example of a movie that taps into the hype around the conspiracy that the Apollo 11 mission was faked. The use of shaky cam footage makes the movie that much more engaging. The story is a fun one, and anyone who is a fan of a good conspiracy theory will find much to love in this chaotic, tense story that delves into the practicalities of bringing a conspiracy to life. The scheming is fun to watch, and there are plenty of thrills along the way.
'Argo' (2012)
Directed by Ben Affleck
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
Argo depicts the real-life events that unfolded during the Iranian hostage crisis of 1979-1981. CIA agent Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) was tasked with getting American diplomats out of Tehran. To accomplish this mission, Mendez and his team concocted an elaborate story about filming a knock-off Star Wars movie. This ruse may have sounded too outlandish to work. However, everyone playing their part made the mission successful.
What makes Argo so similar to Fly Me to the Moon is the fact that the movie demonstrates the great lengths that American establishments can go to accomplish missions. While Argo doesn't involve the backdrop of space, it does involve an elaborate plan for a fake movie that seems destined to fail from the outset. Argo may be a biopic, but it presents a story that is almost more adjacent to fiction.
'Apollo 13' (1995)
Directed by Ron Howard
Image via Universal Pictures
Apollo 13 is a dramatization of real events that occurred in 1970 when a NASA mission to the moon was unable to be completed. The movie was based on the book Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13 by Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger. Astronauts Lovell (Tom Hanks), Fred Haise (Bill Paxton) and Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon) find themselves in peril when their spacecraft malfunctions in the middle of a mission.
Apollo 13 underscores the realities of the Apollo space program and the great lengths that everyone involved had to go in order to make it a success. The movie highlights the risks that were inherently involved in the Apollo missions. Stories like these emphasize the heroism that was involved in making moon missions a reality. Viewers who enjoyed the irreverent and satirical tone of Fly Me to the Moon may enjoy a more grounded and authentic approach to the Apollo program.
'Hidden Figures' (2016)
Directed by Theodore Melfi
Image via 20th Century Studios
Hidden Figures shines a spotlight on the real women who were behind the success of the Apollo missions. The movie follows three Black scientists and mathematicians who work for NASA and ultimately ensure that the Apollo 11 mission can be successful. Hidden Figures is based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly. The movie stars Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monáe.
The performances in Hidden Figures make it a worthwhile biopic to watch. This is another story that highlights the real courage and sacrifices that were required to make the Apollo program successful. Hidden Figures highlights the stories of these women who were overlooked for too long. For those who enjoyed Fly Me to the Moon's fictional take on these real events, Hidden Figures highlights the real drama and sometimes comedy that came with America's road to the moon.
'First Man' (2018)
Directed by Damien Chazelle
Damien Chazelle's First Man is a human portrait of the first man on the moon. Ryan Reynolds stars as Neil Armstrong. The movie follows Armstrong's mission to the moon and his relationship with his family. First Moon chronicles the tragic loss of Armstrong's daughter and how this impacted him for the rest of his life. The movie also stars Claire Foy as Janet Armstrong, who was a fierce advocate for her husband.
First Man is an artistic interpretation of Armstrong's experiences and how his life was changed by his being the first man to land on the moon. Like Fly Me to the Moon, First Man is a fictionalized version of the events surrounding the Apollo 11 mission. However, it is also a character study of the man who became the face of the Apollo program. The focus on Armstrong's humanity is what grounds the story versus the humor that grounds Fly Me to the Moon.
'The Martian' (2015)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Image via 20th Century Fox
The Martian stars Matt Damon as fictional astronaut Mark Watney, who gets accidentally left behind on the Red Planet following a spaceship mishap. This is a survival story that follows Watney's improbable but ultimately miraculous survival. There is a note of horror in this story as Watney faces the elements while awaiting rescue. The Martian is a quintessential Ridley Scott project in that it is a sweeping meditation on a single character's place in the world.
The Martian, like Fly Me to the Moon, is a fictional story about NASA having to control a PR crisis and the lengths the organization would go to in order to protect its name and reputation. While the angles that the stories take may be different, both movies provide commentary on how hard NASA will fight to save their people and their image. While Fly Me to the Moon uses comedy to make this point, The Martian uses an epic drama
'Capricorn One' (1977)
Directed by Peter Hyams
Image via Warner Bros.
Peter Hyams' Capricorn One is a thriller about three astronauts who become involved in a conspiracy. The astronauts discover that their mission to Mars would have been fatal and find out that NASA knew that their mission could not be completed all along. What follows is a story of a vast conspiracy as the astronauts become pawns in a much larger game. The lies keep piling up in Capricorn One as governments and corporations try to preserve their interests.
Like Fly Me to the Moon, Capricorn One takes a fictional story and introduces a hypothetical scenario in which NASA has to cover for their shortcomings. These stories are both so interesting because they ask questions like what lengths would NASA, and by extension the US government, go to to conceal their weaknesses. Each movie takes a different angle in tackling this hypothetical, and they are both effective in their own way.
