Bobby Darin

This film just premiered a few hours ago at the film festival here in Toronto. Kevin Spacey, Bob Hoskins and Kate Bosworth were in attendance. It was a gala event. Having said that I was very nervous about the success of a film where one guy not only produces, stars in, directs, co-writes but also does his own singing. Well, the guy pulled it off beautifully. The structure takes a little getting used to. It opens with Spacey playing Darin starring in a biopic of his own life. When a reporter walks up to him and says: "Don't you think you are a little old to be playing a guy in his twenties?" I started to feel relieved. Spacey obviously was aware that this was a potential problem in the way viewers might view his starring role and he chose to deal with it straight on instead of avoiding it. The plot is not important in this film. Rather, what the movie is about is capturing the energy and drive of Darin himself and, perhaps most important, the urgency with which he lived his life. Darin knew from a very young age that his life would likely be cut short due to a heart condition. And that simply drove him to do the best he could, and to do it as quickly as possible. Spacey's singing talent is a wonder to behold. Without actually imitating Darin, he manages to capture Darin's charisma and stage presence and well as his singing characteristics and mannerisms. While I never forgot that it was Spacey I was watching, I found his performance to be entirely believable. It was obvious that Spacey, the actor, thoroughly loved what he was doing and that every ounce of his being and all of his energy had been invested into this role. This man is a multi-talented individual who tackled a very difficult project and somehow managed to pull it off - beautifully. Highly recommended!

I've been a fan of Walden Robert Cassotto's for a long, long time, and I've been following the progress (or non-progress) of the bio-pic based on his life for an equally long time (couldn't have been any more pleased when I learned that Kevin Spacey was going to be the one to finally bring the project to the proverbial light of day). I'm mentioning this because I realize it's impossible for me to be completely objective about the movie, feeling about its subject as strongly as I do; I think that anyone who loved Bobby Darin cannot be thoroughly objective regarding Spacey's film.

That having been said, I can tell you that I was profoundly affected by Beyond The Sea. Spacey lives up to his surname in spades with this project, by tossing out all the 'normal' bio-pic story-telling tools, instead resorting to a spaced-out show biz fantasy-type structure which does work because Bobby himself did use his career as an antidote against the reality of his ever-failing health and inevitable early death - his overwhelming drive and beyond-intense focus stemmed from the fact that he knew he had only so much time to do anything with his life; this is what made him so great on stage, and this immediacy and strength of purpose is conveyed brilliantly in the movie not through the usual talking and explaining sequences but rather through Darin's actions. So the liberties that Spacey takes with Bobby's life pay off - the song-and-dance numbers and the plot devices (the best one being Darin's younger self having a simultaneous part in the proceedings with the older Darin).

So much has been written about Spacey being too old to play Bobby, how Spacey shouldn't have actually sung the songs himself, how this is a vanity project on Spacey's part, blah blah blah. All untrue.

The clever way in which he stages the film acknowledges the fact that he knows he's chronologically older than the perfect age to play this part, and he sings the songs himself because he CAN - his voice is more than serviceable; in fact when I saw the trailer for the first time a few months back and heard him singing Mack The Knife I was in the theatre telling the person I'd come with "That's Bobby, that can't possibly be Kevin Spacey" - this from a person who has listened to Darin's recording of that song literally hundreds and hundreds of times.

The thing that is most interesting about the negative criticism is the one about this being a vanity project for Spacey; his desire and enthusiasm to share his feeling for Darin via this project is being interpreted as an ego trip, when in reality it's an unabashed and pure labor of love. The film is being misunderstood by a lot of people, and I see this as being unbelievably ironic and, ultimately, proof that the film works because Darin himself was constantly misunderstood, constantly having his hell-bent-for-leather, no-time-to-waste desperation perceived as arrogance. So Spacey succeeded on that level alone.

It also doesn't hurt that from the back, he manages to bear an uncanny resemblance to Bobby, he captures the physicality perfectly, and in all the shots that are not too close up, you'd swear it was Bobby that you were seeing and not Spacey. It's only in the close-ups that I was reminded it wasn't actually Bobby on the screen, and in the later scenes, when he becomes politically aware, grows the mustache and bills himself as Bob Darin, Spacey looks like him even in the close-ups.

By the end of the film, I found myself feeling profoundly moved by what I was experiencing, even though, oddly enough, I didn't feel up to that point that the film was particularly profound, and so my reaction was very surprising to me. There's a scene where -=- POSSIBLE SPOILER -=- Darin is in his hospital bed right before he dies and Sandra Dee (who was no longer with him at that time but still loved him) is in the bed cuddled up beside him - that image was, to me, by far the single most powerful one in the movie, and it has stayed with me, long after the movie's final credits. -=-END OF POSSIBLE SPOILER

I want to include this: the person I saw the film with hadn't been a fan of Bobby's the way I had for years, and I asked her after we'd left the theatre if she'd felt moved by what she'd experienced - I was trying to get a more objective idea how the movie would play to someone who wasn't so emotionally connected to the material. She said that after seeing it, she wanted to know more about Bobby, how she'd had no idea what he'd gone through in his life and how she felt tremendous compassion and respect for him.

Spacey has said that his motivation in doing the movie was to remind people who hardly remembered him what a monumental talent Bobby Darin was, and to hopefully introduce a new generation to the man. I think he's succeeded on that level too, at least with people who go to see this movie with an open mind and a receptive heart.

For those who cannot "suspend disbelief" in order to enjoy a musical, this movie, and my review, are not for you. For the rest of us, "Beyond the Sea" is a delight.

I read critics who said Kevin Spacey is too old to pull off a 20-something Bobby Darin. Wrong! Kevin Spacey's acting captures the essence of BD; after the first ten minutes of the movie it seemed that Kevin Spacey WAS Bobby Darin irrespective of age. I also read critics who said Spacey's dancing was stiff and awkward. Wrong! The production numbers were fabulous. His singing, acting, dancing were awesome, and it's a performance that should not be short-changed in this year's awards' season (although I fear it might be overlooked).

Kate Blodgett, too, did a great job of portraying Sandra Dee (but I wish they had kept her hairstyles more true to Sandra Dee of the 1960's).

My only disappointment is that so many important details about Bobby Darin's life were quickly glossed over or totally omitted. For example, there was no mention of his early years in the Pocono's; his unfulfilled romance with Connie Francis; his friendship with Dick Clark; his songwriting collaboration with Don Kirshner; and his subsequent marriage after divorcing Sandra Dee.

Nevertheless, I loved "Beyond the Sea" and plan to see it again this week. I'm afraid it won't still be in the theaters next week. It almost appears as though some of Hollywood and the newsprint critics have dissed it with almost a jealousy toward Kevin Spacey's Herculean efforts to bring this to the screen, not to mention his compelling performance.

I don't know if it will attract a younger viewing audience; but, if you're a Baby Boomer, this is a must-see.

Kevin Spacey has directed one movie prior to his direction of Beyond the Sea (Albino Aligator) and this one is worth a viewing.

Beyond the Sea starring Kevin Spacey as the legendary vocalist Bobby Darin is a well done biopic of the singers life. His rise to stardom from life in the Bronx to his new life on the stage. Along with him are his brother in-law Charlie played by Bob Hoskins, his wife and Darin's sister Nina played by Caroline Aaron, wife Sandra Dee performed by Kate Bosworth, and John Goodman as manager "Boom Boom" Steve Blauner.

Darin struggles with a serious ailment since his childhood and continues to fight his heart problem throughout his singing career. This motivates him to live longer and pursue happiness, like Sandra Dee. No matter what the challenge, Bobby is ready to tackle it. He broke out onto the billboards with "Splish, Splash". He wanted to go onto better things...like the Copacabana.Bobby would star in 10 movies, an Oscar nomination, seven Top-10 songs, and a family all in a span of 10 years. He had it all.

Although some parts of the movie are a little strange like some of the random dance sequences, it it tied nicely together with the making of a movie and how he interacts with the memory of his childhood.

What Spacey has given us is an enjoyable film that tells a story of a man once considered to be the greatest singer in the world. Spacey's passion for Darin goes way back to his childhood when he would listen to his parents records (see making of the movie on DVD). Spacey sings every song in the picture, dances every step, directs every scene, and even writes the script with Lewis Colick (Ladder 49, October Sky). He wanted this movie to be made to honor a great entertainer and a great person.

Spacey's hard work and determination has paid off for the whole world to see. Thanks for sharing the life of an icon.

"Beyond the Sea" is Kevin Spacey's musical biography of Bobby Darin's life. Spacey stars, writes and directs. Most of the major players in the movie are still living and support the project.

Bobby Darin's story is a compelling one. He was born into difficult circumstances, suffered from poor health all of his life, was extraordinarily talented, and he died young.

"Beyond the Sea" is a beautifully layered film. Kevin Spacey uses some very interesting "point of view" methods to tell his story and he does so without overwhelming the viewer. He pays tribute to the big musicals without being sugary. He avoids cliché and tells Darin's story without being trite.

Bobby Darin's music is dynamic and diverse. He had a gift for song and delighted in sharing it with the world. Kevin Spacey genuinely admires Darin's talent and delights in sharing his own gifts with the world in tribute to Darin.

Kevin Spacey's acting ability is perfectly showcased here. His talent as a director is remarkable. His storytelling is strong and moving without being pushy or maudlin. He is honest in his depiction of Darin as both arrogant and sympathetic. Spacey's singing is surprisingly good. He does not insist he is Bobby Darin, he merely asks us to accept his portrayal of a great vocalist as accurate. Spacey manages to reveal the enormity of his own talent without being vain.

"Beyond the Sea" draws attention to Darin's rich and varied legacy. He was a prolific songwriter, a master showman (the only performer Sammy Davis Jr. would not follow), a successful popular recording artist and an accomplished actor. "Beyond the Sea" reveals the enormity of Spacey's talent and leaves him with a legacy that is as impressive as Darin's.