BEYOND THE SEA Kevin Spacey plays Bobby Darin (1 Viewer)

[Karl_Luph]

Can't wait for this one. Saw Spacey on Jay Leno the other night and they had a small clip from the movie. This movie is a long time coming and Kevin has poured his heart and soul into it. Very few musicians these days have the type of talent or will ever acheive the sucess Bobby Darin did in his time here on Earth before tragically passing away at 37. Kevin Spacey does a great job singing the songs,bought the soundtrack Friday night. Looks like it's coming out December 17,2004 in New York and L.A.

 

[Karl_Luph]

Anybody happen to catch this one last week in L.A. or N.Y.C.?

 

[Michael Reuben]

I saw it today, and it's appallingly bad. Meandering, stuffed with bio-pic cliches and so weak on characterization that everything it has to say about Bobby Darin is already in the trailer. In fact, the trailer's a better movie.

Spacey's very good as a song-and-dance man, and I wouldn't mind seeing the live show that he's supposed to be touring with. But you never for a moment feel that you're seeing Bobby Darin perform; it's always Kevin Spacey, which makes this one of the most elaborate vanity projects ever mounted. The scenes with Darin's mother (Brenda Blethyn) are nicely played, and they have the advantage of featuring a child actor (William Ullrich) as Bobby. But Spacey's never off-camera for long, and except for the scenes with Kate Bosworth as Sandra Dee, I was checking my watch the whole time.

M.

 

[Patrick Sun]

As a director, Kevin Spacey is average, and I felt he just didn't have a good grasp what would make for a satisfying viewing experience. I found his direction boring, even the musical numbers at times because the camera angles just don't have a finish to them, or were placed in the wrong spot for the scene, the camera moved awkwardly or not at all, relying on zoom cuts instead.

As a singer, Spacey's got a good voice, and is entertaining. Can't say I didn't enjoy those scenes that features him singing Darin's tunes. The film itself is a bit of a jumbled mess, trying to be artsy in spots as the story jumps around without sufficient payoff for such choppiness, all for the sake of being edgy, I suspect.

I give it 2 stars, or a grade of C.