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Critics Consensus: Kevin Spacey's bio of singer Bobby Darin is either a fearless piece of showmanship or an embarrassing vanity project, according to critics.
Critic Consensus: Kevin Spacey's bio of singer Bobby Darin is either a fearless piece of showmanship or an embarrassing vanity project, according to critics.
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All Critics (156) | Top Critics (36) | Fresh (65) | Rotten (91) | DVD (13)
Many people under 40 may not even remember Bobby Darin, let alone know about his remarkable life story. Beyond the Sea may rectify that problem and stand as a wonderful tribute to an amazing talent who left us all too soon.
Spacey the actor bails out Spacey the director. He's been talking about his abiding love of Darin for quite some time, and he nails Darin in look, deed and buttery croon, making up for many of the film's structural deficiencies.
This vainglorious biopic about Bobby Darin is really about what the '60s pop singer and actor means to Kevin Spacey.
If Spacey's age problem proves an insurmountable distraction for literalists and Darin fans, his admirers will no doubt relish the chance to watch him sing, dance and basically take over the screen for two hours.
This is one of those rare movies that's so bad it's good, with lavish production numbers in which Spacey sings out of sync with the voice track and dances out of sync with his own feet.
Spacey may worship at the altar of Darin, but the real Bobby was beyond him.
Beyond the Sea ranks among the worst films of its sub-subgenre because its director/star only seems interested in making the film to exploit his remarkable physical resemblance to the title character.
Spacey doesn't pass as Darin, and everything else is flat.
More than 10-years in the making, the movie is a labor of love from Kevin Spacey, and Kate Bosworth is superb as Darin's charming wife Sandra Dee.
A two hour shoulder shrugger for those too young to even know who Bobby Darin is, and what all this fuss is about.
There is no doubt that Spacey does a great job of portraying the entertainer, but he's so wrapped up in this project that he fails to see that it's become a collection of musical numbers without any real heart.
Kevin Spacey's dedication is clear, both in his performance as Darin and in his wonderful direction
Kevin Spacey did a great job putting together the story of Bobby Darin, one of the most popular singers of his time in the 60's. Spacey directed and starred and even did his own singing and dancing in this film that chronicles Darin's childhood then skips ahead to when he's older and just starting out. Darin didn't have drug and alcohol problems or anything else that gets thrown into your usual run-of-the-mill biopic. Bobby Darin was given just years to live, so he pretty much lived his entire life on borrowed time. He had the usual marital troubles and later finds out his sister is actually his mother, but - for better or worse - the story doesn't have the drama and theatrics that most films of these types seem to delve into and ride until the end. Still, Spacey did a terrific job in capturing the spirit and joy that performing did for Darin back in the day.
Super Reviewer
This movie did not live up to its tagline and all in all lacked a certain lustre that this kind of film demands. That's not to say that Kevin Spacey did a bad job directing or acting; he did them very well. I just don't know if he was the right person to do it.
This was great, I didn't know very much about Bobby Darin and Kevin Spacey certainly played a great part.
Kevin Spacey is absolutely marvelous. A teriffic performance. He sing's, writes, produces and directs a magnificent movie. Kate Bosworth is fantastic. This is a wonderful film. It's an sensational, riveting, extroadinary and brilliant biopic
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