Beyond The Sea (DVD)

Kevin Spacey is a magnificent actor: he has the rare ability to, in an almost chameleon-like fashion, inhabit the life of any character he plays with the utmost vitality, from Verbal Kint in The Usual Suspects, to Lester Burnham in American Beauty. Here he takes a stab at playing singer Bobby Darin. The film is notable as Spacey sang all of the numbers himself, for which he gained considerable critical acclaim. He also co-wrote the film and directed it, making this an auteur project for sure. While it is deeply flawed as a biopic, it's hard not to praise Spacey's committed performance, and he totally pours himself into his role. The film is a broad biopic, ...  Read the complete review

Beyond the Sea is a 2004 film starring Kevin Spacey as Bobby Darin, a singer mainly remembered today for his definitive version of "Mack the Knife" from 1959 but who was also the consummate nightclub performer, a movie star and a songwriter. Spacey also co-wrote and directed the film. Spacey is a huge fan of Darin's and had wanted to make this film for years, but it wasn't a huge success with either the critics or with audiences, and while Spacey puts in a spirited performance as the man born Walden Robert Cassotto in the Bronx in 1936, at the end of the day this film doesn't really work because it doesn't seem to know what kind of movie it wants to ...  Read the complete review