The 1960s space race has revved up to full throttle; the moon landing is months away. But the public has lost interest in all things Nasa-related. Enter marketing hotshot and professional flimflam artist Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson), hired by the Nixon administration to reignite the collective excitement around the space programme. Sparks fly between Kelly, peppy and chic in her tailored suits, and Nasa launch director Cole Davis (Channing Tatum), who carries with him the heavy burden of a previous failed mission and the deaths of three astronauts.
This chipper romantic drama is aiming for the sweet spot between Down With Love-style battle of the sexes period pastiche and a Mad Men-flavoured conspiracy movie, but this proves to be a tricky mix to navigate. Part of the problem is that while Johansson is deliciously minxy and manipulative as Kelly, the usually likable Tatum has all the charisma of a carpet tile in this clenched-jawed, buttoned-up role.
