Beyond the Sea
by Kevin Spacey
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Bob Hoskins, Brenda Blethyn, John Goodman, Kate Bosworth, Kevin SpaceyDirector: Kevin Spacey
Brand: SPACEY,KEVIN
Writer: Kevin Spacey
Producer: Andy Paterson
Producer: Anna Campeau
Producer: Arthur Friedman
Producer: Christian Frohn
Producer: Dana Brunetti
Writer: Lewis Colick
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 118 minutes
Published: 2005-06-01
DVD Release Date: 2005-06-07
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Lions Gate
Product features:
- TESTED
Movie Reviews of Beyond the Sea
Movie Review: A Vanity Project? Or Labor of Love?
Summary: 5 Stars
I reacted to the announcement that Kevin Spacey was to play Bobby Darin with approval. Although he was about a decade older than the 60s crooner ever lived to be, and his age showed a bit, Spacey (who successfully won an Oscar whereas Darin was only nominated for one) quite deftly engaged in the art of personification. He looks enough like Darin, although Darin's chin was narrower.
Spacey helms an occassionally surreal account of Darin's life, beginning with a backstage view of his venue in Las Vegas, during which the singer takes a detour, and presides over a telling of his own remarkable life story.
Newcomer William Ullrich portrays the young Walden Robert Cassotto (a.k.a Darin's not-so-inner child throughout the course of the film), a child of the Bronx who lives with Nina and Charlie Maffia (Bob Hoskins and Caroline Aaron) and the doting Polly Cassotto (Brenda Blethyn), from whom he inherits his love of music. It would be years later that the singer would be devastated by the revelation of a family secret.
In the meantime, he builds his reputation as a performer, taking those closest to him along for the ride. He acquires a manger named Steve Blauner(John Goodman), and works his way from seedy nightclubs to more upscale venues. Spacey's recreation of Darin's signature performances is admirable. One really has to listen hard to be able to differentiate between the original recordings and the reproductions made for this film.
Tragedy strikes as Darin's recordings climb the charts. Still, the singer perseveres, making appearances on national televison, winning a Grammy, and beginning a film career, during which he meets America's Golden Girl, Sandra Dee (Kate Bosworth), with whom he feels he can make even more beautiful music if he can lure her away from her controlling mother, Mary Duvan (Greta Scacchi). Spacey shows impressive dancing skills in the process of getting the girl.
Before long, Darin has won his prize, but in an emotional scene that relies on a viewer's awareness of Dee's survival of incest, the bride has an anxious moment, which her groom nobly redeems.
The Darins have a son named Dodd, and the honeymoon ends soon enough during an Oscar Night brawl in which the couple become violent over incredibly petty issues. One feels dismayed that people who appear to have been given everything in life can't at least behave themselves!
Still, as Darin strives towards his goal to play at the Copacabana, one may come to empathize with him since a childhood bout with rheumatic fever weakened his heart, and he knew his time was limted.
As the 60s wear on, and social changes ensue, Darin, a politically conscious entertainer who, earlier helped desegregate a nightclub, struggles to stay relevant. Amid Sandra's increasing problems with the bottle, and his being a hands-on Dad to his son, Darin refurbishes his act with songs that are more topical, and makes plans to join Senator Robert Kennedy in his bid for the Presidency. Nina drops a bombshell on Bobby, regarding his family history (in order to beat the media to the punch), sending him into a tailspin, and he spirals even harder and deeper when RFK is assassinated.
In real life, Darin could be be found lying at Kennedy's grave, but the film ignores this. It focuses on his desertion of his family, his soul-searching, his reconciliation with his family(although it neglects to mention a short-lived second marriage), and the triumphant revival of his career at the Flamingo in Las Vegas before the curtain prematurely falls...
This film may be viewed some as a vanity project, as it was something Kevin Spacey had wanted to do since he and his late mother (to whom the film is lovingly dedicated) were fans of Darin's. He definitely dominates the project, but omits the presence of Darin's half-sister, Vee, who was with him at the end. But it is an apparent labor of love in which Darin's ex-wife (who happily lived long enough to see the film's release) and son had some input.
It does capture the salient points of Darin's life, and it's more than obvious that Spacey had fun playing off of the sassily precocious Ullrich, especally in the final dance number. I feel glad that Spacey's dream came true! He was born to play the part!
The child from the Bronx may have died; the legend lives, and through the eyes of a devoted fan, Bobby Darin is forever swinging at the Flamingo!
Summary of Beyond the Sea
One of America?s greatest performers, Bobby Darin lived a rags-to-riches life. He worked his way from shady nightclubs to his dream destination, The Copacabana, where he wowed crowds with "Splish Splash," "Mack the Knife" and other hits. He was a marvel at singing, songwriting and performing ? stealing the hearts of fans everywhere despite the suffering in his own hear.The chameleon-like actor Kevin Spacey is best known for playing pyschopaths (in Seven and The Usual Suspects) and capturing a creepy mid-life crisis in American Beauty--but surprisingly, playing crooner Bobby Darin, Spacey does some snappy dancing and top-notch singing. Beyond the Sea puts Darin's life through a bit of a kaleidoscope: While singing Darin's most memorable hit, "Mack the Knife," Darin suddenly stops the show, revealing that he's not at a nightclub, but in the middle of a shooting a scene about his life as a nightclub performer. Why has he stopped? Because he's just seen himself as a young boy, peering from behind a curtain. Such self-conscious narrative twists recur throughout the movie, turning Darin's fight for fame and respect into a love story between his adult and childhood selves. Sandra Dee (Kate Bosworth, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!), a hugely popular movie star in her own right, was supposedly the love of Darin's life, but she never holds his attention as does his childhood self (played by newcomer William Ullrich). It's a striking metaphor for the narcissism that drives such success-hungry entertainers. But despite (or perhaps because of) the complexity of the telling, the events never grip your emotions; though Darin's life featured hits galore and a few soap opera twists, his story lacks the seductive charm of his nighclub show. Also featuring Bob Hoskins, John Goodman, Brenda Blethyn, and Greta Scacchi. --Bret Fetzer
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