Stylish ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ entertains despite falling short
Greg Berlanti is known as a pioneer in bringing depictions of queer life to television, having been behind the first male-on-male kiss in an American network show (“Dawson’s Creek”), the first recurring transgender character on prime-time television (“Dirty Sexy Money”), and the first openly gay superhero to headline a series (“Freedom Fighters: The Ray”) – not to mention bringing the first live-action transgender superhero to TV with the casting of Nicole Maines in the show “Supergirl” or his production of last year’s high-profile Amazon adaptation of the gay literary romance “Red, White, and Royal Blue.” His legacy on the small screen, which includes numerous accomplishments beyond those mentioned above, is not just solid, but exemplary.
On the big screen, however — with the exception of 2018’s “Love, Simon” (a major hit, which scored an impressive $66 million at the box office) — his efforts in the theatrical film industry have replicated his success on television.
Yet with “Fly Me to the Moon,” which opened a widespread theatrical release on July 12, he just might have changed that narrative.
Indeed, changing narratives might be what the movie itself is all about. Set in 1969, a year in which divisive politics and an unpopular war had made America a deeply anxious and cynical nation (sound familiar?), the pseudo-historical but entirely fictitious plot takes place during the Cold War “Space Race” in the months leading up to the historic Apollo 11 moon landing.
