WHAT TO WATCH

Fly Me to the Moon (in theaters)

A good romance can hit the spot better than a late-night brownie.

If you’re looking for just such a treat, you don’t want to miss “Fly Me to the Moon.” A clever, charming and surprisingly funny romance set during the Apollo 11 launch, the movie manages to be unique and deeply satisfying at the same time. Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson have great onscreen chemistry, the supporting cast is fun, and the script puts a great twist on the old “they filmed the moon landing” rumors. All together, it makes for a delicious night at the movies.

The movie starts when a government fixer hires a talented, truth-bending advertising expert (Johansson) to make the Apollo program popular with the public. The launch director (Tatum) wants her gone, but slowly comes to trust her as she genuinely works to keep the program alive. When the government insists on filming a “backup” version of the moon landing, however, the woman who can sell anything has to decide how important the truth really is.

The script is genuinely clever, with the filming plan coming off entirely believable even though it seems to be fiction. Tatum and Johansson get moments of real depth, both together and on their own, and the supporting cast get their own moments to shine. The humor, which ranges from wit to silliness, never feels forced.

Though the more than two hours of runtime is a little long for most romances, you’ll be having too much fun to notice.

Grade: Three and a half stars

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (Netflix)

Let’s pretend this is the only “Beverly Hills Cop” sequel out there, shall we?

While it’s not revolutionary enough to restart Eddie Murphy’s career, “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” is a fun, nostalgic return to a familiar cinematic world. Miles ahead of previous franchise sequels in terms of quality, the movie’s best callback to the original is the fact that it manages to capture some of its momentum. Some of the old life is back in Axel Foley, as well as Eddie Murphy, and while the nostalgia is thick it never manages to choke out the movie’s zip. Foley may not have changed much in the last few decades, but for the nearly two hours you’re watching this movie that doesn’t seem like such a bad thing.

The movie brings Foley back to Beverly Hills for the sake of his estranged daughter (Taylour Paige) an attorney tangling with corrupt cops. Teaming up with his daughter’s ex (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Foley tries to work his way back into his daughter’s life while he figures out who’s threatening her. With the help of some old friends (Judge Reinhold, John Ashton and Bronson Pinchot), Foley breaks all the rules on the way to saving the day.

Murphy is charming in this in a way he hasn’t been in a while. The dialogue doesn’t crackle like the original, but the high-energy improv he shows off here will be a surprise to anyone who only knows him from middling family films. Everyone else is second fiddle, but Gordon-Levitt uses his acting chops to ground the movie in the handful of moments when it needs it.

Mostly, though, it’s breezy summer fun with old friends. After all these years, that’s enough.

Grade: Two and a half stars