Good concept, poorly executed.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Our narrator informs us at the start that our film takes place near the turn of the century, so we must assume it is 1998 or 1999. NASA is now NAWA and is in a pickle. Both the Americans and the Russians are maintaining weather stations on the moon. The Americans have 2 male astronauts while the Russians have a male and female. The problem is, one of the Americans keeps attacking the Russian female because he has gone mad. The head of NAWA sees a publicity coup by arranging for a married American team to replace the 2 men, but everything falls apart when the newly married couple starts fighting. Enter Lewis as Peter Mattemore, the oldest trainee who always finds a way out of actual space flight. Mattemore manages to convince Eileen Forbes (played by the lovable Connie Stevens) to marry him and go to the moon with him. Hilarity ensues after they arrive at their destination to find the 2 Russian cosmonauts (played by Dick Shawn and Anita Eckberg) and find Shawn's character is a sex crazed cossack.For most of the film Lewis is rather subdued in his acting, only letting some of his comic genius burst out for a few seconds at a time. It isn't until we are 2/3's through the film that the true slapstick that we recognize as Lewis trots out during the party scene with all 4 main characters. Stevens is her usual sexy yet girl next door type. She really makes those clear plastic couches and pillows look good. Eckberg, although more statuesque and built than Stevens, takes a back seat to Connie. Shawn is a zany lunatic that is about the only equal to Lewis when it comes to over the top acting.

"Way...Way Out" is, in my opinion, Jerry Lewis' worst movie. That's quite a claim, when you consider he also made "The Big Mouth" the following year. It's one of those 1960s "sex comedies" which is so timid and restrained that it doesn't even really deserve that description.After an interminable time of discussing an upcoming space flight, Jerry and Connie Stevens are U.S. astronauts that fly to the moon, where they are joined by two Russian Cosmonauts, played by Dick Shawn and Anita Ekberg. I tried hard to find something humorous after the astronauts arrive on the moon, but alas, there was nothing. The movie rambles on to an inconclusive ending without a chuckle in sight.Lost among the bad acting and poor script are some pretty good actors, including Brian Keith, Dennis Weaver, Robert Morley, and James Brolin. Keith's turn as an arrogant and autocratic army general is so bad that it's genuinely embarrassing. The entire cast seems to have saved their careers' worst performances just for this movie.I had read really scathing reviews of "Way...Way Out" but I had to see it for myself. Yes, the reviews are correct, it's that bad, maybe worse. This horrifically bad movie makes "Hook, Line, and Sinker" look like brilliant dramatic art. Just as an experiment, you should watch "The Big Mouth" and "Way...Way Out" back to back on a rainy day. I take no responsibility for your actions, but be warned that you may end up calling a hotline for severely depressed people.

Arguably despite having Jerry Lewis, Dick Shawn and Howard Morris (3 great comedic actors) in the cast this was the most unfunny Jerry Lewis movie I have ever seen. The cold war/space race humor is indeed dated but despite being an attempt at political satire it failed as comedy and probably didn't get lots of laughs even back in 1966. I'm used to Jerry Lewis as a great comedic actor but in this movie he was playing it straight and totally lacking the kind of outrageous antics and physical comedy that made his earlier movies great comedy. I'm inclined to believe that even in France this Jerry Lewis effort would have been a great disappointment. Not only was it lame comedy but it wasn't even good science fiction. Absolutely thumbs down.

Although Jerry Lewis is the star of this mid 60's spoof of the space program he gets plenty of help in providing the comedy. A good supporting cast make this an enjoyable comedy film.Howard Morris's character Schmidlapp a sex starved American astronaut who's been stationed on the moon far too long is perhaps the best of all. When he sees the gorgeously cute Connie Stevens he loses it. "Maybe she's one of those girls who soaps herself all over..and...then ...gets...into the tub" he tells fellow astronauts Lewis and Dennis Weaver who are wondering how Stevens takes a bath. The late Dick Shawn and Brian Keith are also featured. Like Gilligans Island "Your sure to get a smile" when you see this movie.