Las Vegas Boy

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!

"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.

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.

This has been called "a labor of love" by the man responsible for this movie: Kevin Spacey. He was driving force behind this biography being put on screen, even to the point of starring in the title role. This is the most amazing aspect of them all: Spacey's imitation of singer Bobby Darin. It's unbelievable! He sounds remarkably close to how Darin sounded. He did his idol proud, that's for sure.

Those who complain that he was told old to play the part are nitpicking. I am not a personal fan of Spacey. Off-screen, I think he's a jerk. However, the criticism of him here is simply unfair. The man did an incredible job imitating Darin - period. Who could have done better?

Kate Bosworth is also very good as "Sandra Dee," the actress who married Darin. She comes across as a very positive and nice person, a lot more than Darin whose problems are shown as well as his good points. He is not always a good guy.

The language is a little rougher than I'd like to see this in this music-biography. The bits with the kid were annoying, not profound as they were obviously trying to be. In fact, the film would have ended perfectly without that last 4-5 minute scene with the child.

Bobby Darin was a great singer and entertainer. And his untimely death at age 37 was most unfortunate. But, aside from one interesting revelation about his parents, I'm not sure that his life was any more deserving of a film than dozens of other singers and entertainers from the fifties and sixties. The fact that "Beyond The Sea" is mostly a musical tribute rather than a traditional biography suggests a lack of substantive material on which to base a two hour movie.

The film's complex structure is unusual, in that the adult Darin (Kevin Spacey) talks with himself as a child (William Ullrich) and the two of them, via flashbacks and fantasy, direct a movie about the adult's life. It is an interesting, though at times confusing, structural approach.

What I liked most about the film is the music. Spacey himself sings the songs. And he does a terrific job with the big band sounds of "Dream Lover", "Artificial Flowers", "Some Of These Days", "Beyond The Sea" and, of course, "Mack The Knife". The film's secondary performances are quite good, especially John Goodman. Production design is high quality, and the dance routines are well staged.

Overall, listening to Darin's songs was great. But I would have preferred a more traditional, linear biography. This movie reinforces the perception that talented performers who die young are more likely to get film tributes than talented performers who live to an old age. Maybe, in some way, Hollywood feels guilty at the premature loss. Or, maybe, an early death makes the entertainer, over time, seem more idealized.