Beyond
the Sea is a rather old fashioned bio-pic and serves as the ultimate vanity project
for the multi talented Kevin Spacey. This film, based on the life of crooner Bobby
Darin (his most famous tunes were “Mack the Knife” and the title track),
has been a huge labor of love for the American Beauty star.
Beyond
the Sea delves into the life of Darin from his days as a sick child, to his reputable
tenure as a superstar, to his later years as an anti-war anthem singer. Through
it all, the film also gives us a glimpse into Darin’s high profile marriage
to actress Sandra Dee and even touches on a long kept secret involving his mother.
And of course, we get the music, most of which is performed by Spacey himself.
I
liked parts of Beyond the Sea. In particular, I enjoyed the smaller moments, including
one in which Darin is insistent on singing standards rather than performing rock
n’ roll numbers to appease the masses (although he is responsible for writing
the rock staple “Splish Splash”). As I stated, this movie is very old
fashioned, and will mostly appeal to those who grew up on Darin’s music.
Spacey
serves as director and star, and while Beyond the Sea is a valiant effort, it
doesn’t always succeed in it’s attempt at sprawling, epic storytelling.
The film runs a tad over two hours, and covers a lot of ground, but somehow I
still felt there was something missing.
Spacey
never truly becomes Darin. He sounds and looks the part, but I always felt as
if I was watching Spacey do an impersonation. That’s where recent musical
bio-pics Ray and De-Lovely got it right. Jamie Foxx’s uncanny portrayal of
Ray Charles elevated that picture above conventional melodrama, while Kevin Kline’s
effortless work as Cole Porter in De-Lovely perfectly complimented director Irwin
Winkle’s attention to detail. Spacey can sing and dance, there’s no
doubt about that, but his performance seems mechanical, and the film never really
finds a groove.
The
supporting work in Beyond the Sea is solid. In particular, I really enjoyed Bob
Hoskins as the loving Charlie and cute Kate Bosworth as the not-so-pure and innocent
Sandra Dee. Spacey clearly has much trust in his actors and in some cases, a bit
too much. Caroline Aaron wildly overplays some of her scenes as Darin’s attention-seeking
sister. Aaron does shine occasionally here, but too often, she’s overly melodramatic.
During one emotionally pivotal moment, she’s so over the top that I actually
felt embarrassed for her.
Spacey
the director reportedly spent years developing this project and truth be told,
the film doesn’t really pack any sort of emotional wallop. I recognize that
Beyond The Sea endeavors to define an era that I didn’t grow up in, but other
films have as well, and more effectively I might add. A great movie puts you there,
and Beyond the Sea never really transported me.
Beyond
the Sea really comes alive in the final ten minutes. And in fact, a stunning song
and dance number featuring Kevin Spacey and young William Ullrich, encouraged
me to award a slightly higher grade to this otherwise sub par movie. I wish there
were more scenes like this throughout the picture. In the end, Spacey’s labor
of love may have been too much for him to handle. This guy is a talented performer,
but as of late, he appears to have lost his footing a bit (see The Shipping News).
I suppose Beyond the Sea is a minor step in the right direction, but I’d
hoped for more.
