BEYOND THE SEA (2004/Dir. Kevin Spacey)
I have this movie on DVD and have watched it countless times. It is a favorite. A real cinematic treat that I never get tired of.
For the first five or so viewings I could not understand why Kevin Spacey played Bobby Darin himself.
He seemed too old, that he didn't "look right".
After seeing it as many times as I have, I have come to realize that no one else could have done it- especially him as Darin in his later years, protesting Vietnam and getting all folky after his illustrious stint in famous nightclubs like the Copacabana.
Kevin says on the featurette that he thought Bobby was "the coolest cat who ever walked the Earth" and that his mother had his albums & big band albums and played them a lot when he was a kid. So being very familiar with Bobby Darin was more than essential to portraying him on film.
Spacey sings the songs pretty much note-perfect, and he honored Bobby HUGE.
I have a kinship with Bobby Darin- he and I have the same birthday- May 14. His music really grabs me, even though I'm more into the Doors and Black Flag at heart...
Bobby was a showstopper, bigger than Sinatra to me. He was always doing things like it was his last day on earth, because he was lucky to live past age 15, as the film drives home.
The man had the Reaper hanging over his head at all times with his heart condition.
I also thought Kate Bosworth was wrong as Sandra Dee but I have come to accept her as Bobby's Love. The more times you see this movie, the criticisms just melt away.
You fall in love with what Spacey is doing here- honoring a man who is largely forgotten, which he explains in the featurette. It's a shame that Bobby is not remembered like Sinatra or even Sammy Davis Jr.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that this film will grow on you,and you should have it in your DVD collection.
The songs are solid gold and the set pieces and dance numbers are really great.
Spacey also has stellar support from John Goodman and Bob Hoskins here.
Hoskins says in the featurette that Kevin stuck his neck out for this movie and he made a pledge to be right there with him.
Buy Bobby Darin records! They will make you happy.
This is the only "biopic" on Darin, and it almost never got made, and I shudder to think what it would look like if another creative team tried to do it justice.
Martin Scorsese might've been able to pull it off, but that's about as short as the list is.
