The success of stories with this structure depends exclusively on the chemistry of their protagonists. “How to Sell the Moon” hits the nail on the head in this regard, with Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum as oil and water who, in an eccentric setting, discover their common ground while coming to terms with their own imperfections. If charm could be bottled and sold, the stars would already have a fat retirement!
In 1960s New York, when women were finding their voice in society beyond the margarine family, Kelly Jones (played by Scarlett) is an advertising executive successfully navigating an almost exclusively male world. She is summoned by a government agent, Moe Berkus (Woody Harrelson), for a noble mission: to go to Cape Canaveral, Florida, and “sell” NASA as a product, ensuring public sympathy for the galloping expenses of the space race.
Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson discover ‘How to Sell the Moon’ together Image: Sony
The task is complicated by the resistance of Cole Davis (Tatum), Apollo 11’s launch director, to transform the lunar mission into a giant billboard – and its astronauts into pop stars. The already tense situation becomes even more complicated when Moe, excited about the possibility of broadcasting the flight live on TV, tasks Kelly with producing a fake version of the moon landing in the studio – “It’s a political dispute with Russia and we can’t risk public embarrassment”, says the Yankee snitch.
“How to Sell the Moon” has a supersonic rhythm, piling up narrative elements that only keep from falling apart due to Berlanti’s accurate direction. He knows the risk of mixing such an emblematic part of history with a sugary romance and is right not to embrace any extremes. The film is not, after all, about the space race or the conspiracy theories that orbit the subject. It is not “The Right Stuff” or “First Man”.
His ambition, therefore, is like a stripped-down romantic fantasy. With no intention of creating new intellectual property. No willingness to propose innovative concepts. Just a throwback to simpler times, when going to the moon represented the pinnacle of human achievement, or when having two stars on the marquee justified a ticket to the cinema. Who would have thought that one day this would be revolutionary?
