Review of Beyond the Sea (2004) by Walter M — 26 Mar 2006

[font=Century Gothic]"Beyond the Sea" is a biopic about singer Bobby Darin(Kevin Spacey, who also directed, did his own singing, co-wrote and co-produced but probably did not help with the catering), ne Walden Robert Cassotto, who was born into a modest household in The Bronx in 1936. As a young boy, he was struck by rheumatic fever which weakened his heart, so doctors did not think he would survive past the age of fifteen. He defied their predictions and also developed an interest in music which led to a very successful career as a pop singer. Eventually, he even gets into acting and a relationship with actress Sandra Dee(Kate Bosworth).[/font].

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[font=Century Gothic]"Beyond the Sea" simply tries too hard in trying to cram the entirety of Bobby Darin's life into a film along with enough symbolism, surrealism and musical numbers to choke a horse. The most serious flaw of the movie is that Kevin Spacey is simply too old to be playing Darin, especially in his early scenes with Kate Bosworth.(Any actor who chooses to direct must eventually realize that they do not have to be in front of the camera all of the time.) As the film goes on, Spacey does get in sync with the older Darin, but by then the damage has been done. [/font].