Search
What's Hot
Day-by-Day Fall Schedule
Idol Winner Speaks!
Jim Parsons Comes Out
Game of Thrones Star's Sex Stare

Beyond The Sea

2004, Movie, PG-13, 121 mins

Beyond The Sea: Review

BEYOND THE SEA
starstarstarstar
Kevin Spacey's musical drama about 1950s pop icon Bobby Darin has all the trappings of a vanity production — not only did Spacey direct and star, but he's also credited as a producer and screenwriter. The film comes burdened with the taint of the personal project, which often means indulgent failure. Spacey's passionate performance can't be faulted, but the movie falls prey to the usual biopic dilemma — how do you force a complicated, messy life to conform to the conventions of the two-hour narrative form? Spacey and cowriter Lewis Colick try to do an end run around the problem by immediately acknowledging their movie's artificiality, opening with an elaborate musical number that Bobby Darin (Spacey) abruptly interrupts by yelling "Cut!" Darin is directing a film about his life and, unhappy with its progress, takes a time-out. As he stalks the soundstage, followed by manager Steve Blauner (John Goodman) and his brother-in-law, Charlie (Bob Hoskins), Darin spots the child actor playing him as a youngster (William Ullrich). The young Bobby proves more than a movie moppet; he's the spirit of the younger Darin and takes his future self on a trip down memory lane, from sickly childhood (doctors claimed Darin's congenital heart condition would kill him before his 15th birthday) to the release of "Splish Splash," his first hit. Then it's one gold record after another, including "Dream Lover" and "Mack the Knife," followed by Bobby's foray into acting. He meets Sandra Dee (Kate Bosworth) while making COME SEPTEMBER (1961), pursues the prim-and-proper teen queen and, to everyone's astonishment, becomes her husband. But married life proves difficult; Bobby refuses to interrupt his career and tries to keep himself in the spotlight even as times change and his old audience falls away. Spacey does a fine job as Darin; though eight years older than the singer at the time of his death, Spacey inhabits the role fully and demonstrates formidable musical chops. As a director, though, he struggles to realize his vision on screen. The musical numbers are lively, but the rest of the film seems underdeveloped, particularly scenes dealing with Bobby's later career. The risible framing device feels like an outtake from Bob Fosse's ALL THAT JAZZ (1979) and the rest of the cast is afforded little opportunity to register on screen, though Brenda Blethyn contributes a nice supporting turn as Bobby's mother. In the end, Spacey's devotion to Darin may have blinded him to the bigger picture. leave a comment --Ethan Alter
Are You Watching?
Beyond The Sea
Loading ...
Advertisement

Our Partners

Advertisement

Related Websites

You might be also interested in the following websites:

Most Popular TV Shows

  1. American Idol
  2. NCIS
  3. Big Bang Theory
  4. Voice
  5. Person of Interest
more popular tv shows

Most Popular Celebrities

  1. Jessica Simpson
  2. Khloe Kardashian
  3. Kate Middleton
  4. Maria Menounos
  5. Kim Kardashian
more popular celebrities

Most Popular Movies

  1. Avengers
  2. Battleship
  3. The Dictator
  4. Dark Shadows
  5. What To Expect When You're Expecting
more popular movies

Top Videos

  1. Revenge
  2. Days of our Lives
  3. Young and the Restless
  4. Modern Family
  5. So You Think You Can Dance
more top videos