Who the heck is Bobby Darin? That was the question that I asked myself before I sat down and watched Kevin Spacey’s Bio Picture on the popular 50s singer who did such hit songs as “”Mack The Knife”” and “”Splish Splash.”” Those two songs are popular standards, but I never knew who sang them.
“”Beyond The Sea,”” is one of those rare films that stayed with me long after I saw it. When I initially watched it, I liked it, but didn’t love it, but weeks later I’m still thinking about it, and the more that I think about it the more I like it. The film blends fantasy surrealism with standard straight ahead story telling as it attempts to tell the life story of Bobby Darin who was born with a rare life threatening illness. He was never supposed to live past his 10th birthday. His mother instilled in him the desire to perform. And perform he did. The film’s narrative is sometimes disjointed by the weirdly surreal musical moments, where for no apparent reason people just break out into long, elaborate, Broadway style musical numbers. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if these are supposed to be real life moments or just part of Darrin’s active imagination. For instance Darrin’s entire courtship of his future wife, movie star Sandra Dee (played by Kate Bosworth) is done in a 10 minute montage that seemed more like a fantasy than it actually happened as scripted. Bosworth’s performance as Sandra Dee was serviceable, nothing particularly memorable. What’s amazing about “”Beyond The Sea”” is the fact that Kevin Spacey actually did all of his own singing in the film, when you compare Spacey’s versions to the original music, Spacey clearly adds a spark and sizzle to the tunes that was missing from the original. He brings the house down when he performs “”A Simple Song of Freedom.”” Many have complained that Spacey is simply too old to be “”Bobby Darin”” but in reality he inhabits the part really well, never once do you think “”Wow, is he old!”” Spacey’s directing is self assured, and sure handed. You can tell by the loving care that’s on screen that Spacey really loves this project. Never once does it feel rushed, or slow. “”Beyond The Sea”” simply clicks. Final Grade B+ EM Review by Michelle AlexandriaOriginally Posted 12/30/04