Landing men on the moon was a big accomplishment for NASA and remains a big part of our cultural history in America, even decades later. Still, there are those that aren’t convinced this achievement was real. For both groups, the new film Fly Me to the Moon will entertain and delight.

The film spins back to the late 1960s as the space race is in full swing. With Richard Nixon taking office, and America growing weary of a costly space race that’s yielded few results, government fixer Moe Berkus (Woody Harrelson) is looking for help. He turns to Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson), a woman with a shady past and a gift for spin. Moe cajoles Kelly into take a job with the newly former NASA PR department to sell the space race to Americans.

Kelly re-locates to the Johnson Space Center in Florida where she finds the Launch Director, Cole Davis (Channing Tatum), less than enthusiastic. Cole is still haunted by past failures, including Apollo 1, and he’s determined to make Apollo 11 a success. He doesn’t take kindly to Kelly and her brash way of building attention for the latest mission.

But, somewhere along the way, their clash of styles meets in the middle, with each gaining greater appreciation for the other. But when Moe asks Kelly to set up a fake moon landing as a hedge in case the real mission fails, she’s forced to keep a major secret that could implode their burgeoning relationship.

This is a fun story. It is based on an idea from Keenan Flynn and Bill Kirstein, with a finished script from Rose Gilroy. There’s a great blend of humor and drama, bringing history and the space race to life. It also has a story that will thrill the conspiracy theorists who have questioned the authenticity of the event for years.

The film is directed by Greg Berlanti, who does a nice job setting the tone and pace. The cast is great, with other actors like Ray Romano and Jim Rash filling in the margins around the main story of Kelly and Cole, and the orchestrations of Moe Berkus in the background. You can’t help but get into the fun of the narrative and the excitement of the space race.

Johansson and Tatum have great chemistry. They separately create their characters in a memorable way, and then play off each other well. Their back-and-forth sparring throughout the film is a lot of fun and helps build the drama and tension.

I also enjoyed the period look, the sets, and the costumes here. It feels like we’re transported back in time in the best way. The music and the style all help set the stage, as do the fun marketing and ads that populate the film. The use of actual news footage also helps build the tension and the feeling.

I didn’t know what to expect from this film, but what I got was a charming and delightful trip back to the past. I enjoyed the leads, the story, and the whole experience. This is a great date movie, too!

Fly Me to the Moon opens on Friday, July 12 in theaters nationwide.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.