Review of Beyond the Sea (2004) by Leah F — 14 Apr 2006

I had heard a great deal of negative criticism about this film before viewing it, particularly about Mr. Spacey's age for the role. If anything, I would say Spacey's age was a narrative bonus, as it caused the film to be reflexive of Darin's life as opposed to a straight biopic retelling. It was an artistic interpretation of Darin looking at his life with the help of his inner child, played by William Ullrich. Ullrich gave the strongest performance in the film, in my opinion, though that's probably because I always expect a high callibre performance from Spacey. I was, however, impressed with his singing; he did a good rendition of Darin's work though not my favourite cover of Mac the Knife by any means. Bosworth looked the part of Sandra Dee and did a fair job.

Overall, it was an okay film. I felt it lost my attention towards the end of the film and dragged a little too much. As a director, though, Spacey should be proud. It was a big undertaking and critics be darned! The film already is about ego.