Review of Beyond the Sea (2004) by Allan C — 24 Jul 2010

2004 saw numerous biopics ranging from The Aviator (Howard Hughes) to The Passion of the Christ (Jesus Christ). People enjoyed experiencing the lives of others as Leonardo DiCaprio gave what I consider his best performance of all time as the obsessive Hughes. But even with that in mind, what film flopped that year that should be given a second look? That would be Beyond the Sea.

Kevin Spacey became one of the most well respected actors of the nineties with his portrayals of Roger "Verbal" Kint in The Usual Suspects and as Lester Burnham in American Beauty. He made his directorial debut in Beyond the Sea, a biopic about Bobby Darin. Spacey also portrayed the famed musician. The film was widely panned though Spacey was praised for using his own singing voice.

Why it was panned is beyond me. There are some moments of "fantasy flashbacks" that make the story a little bizarre, though Darin clearly states that's what they are: fantasies. The soundtrack is excellent and is one of my favorites as well as being nominated for a Grammy. The film that overshadowed this, however, was Ray, a film about Ray Charles with Jamie Foxx portraying the titular character. Ray passed away in the middle of 2004 which I'm sure helped with publicity for the film.

Now don't get me wrong. Jamie Foxx did an excellent job in his work, even getting special contacts to make him blind, which he used for hours. But I think this made it impossible for Beyond the Sea to become the hit it should have been.

Spacey has a wonderful singing voice and did a great job, earning a Golden Globe nomination. I bought this film when I heard it was a major bomb, as those are films that usually intrigue me. I've always found film that fail to be interesting because I want to know what made them fail. In this case, it boiled down to poor timing. Had this been released the year after (2005) it might have had a better chance, though even that is still unlikely with Brokeback Mountain, Crash and Capote dominating the Oscar competition.

My opinion, this is a film you need to add to your collection because it is seriously underrated and needs to be given a second chance for people. If it could be rereleased in theaters I would like it done so, but it is available on DVD for a decent price, as it is not necessarily one people really want to see. Go check it out and see for yourself.