Beyond the Sea (2004)

Directed by Kevin Spacey. Starring Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, John Goodman, William Ullrich, Bob Hoskins, William Ullrich, Brenda Blethyn, Peter Cincotti, Greta Scacchi, Matt Rippy. [PG-13]

Spacey directed, co-produced, co-wrote, and stars in this passion project biography of singer/actor Bobby Darin, and only somewhere beyond the sea could anyone have imagined it to be a good fit—Spacey is almost a decade older than Darin was when he died, and (of course) most of the movie takes place long before that point. But he actually does look a little like the crooner/actor, and most importantly, Spacey sings his own vocals and proves to have the pipes for the job. The narrative layout is fantastical rubbish—he more or less tells his life story to a little kid (Ullrich) that represents a young version of himself, and as the kid points out, not everything is how it really happened (in fact, very little is). The terms of Darin’s professional career are rather prosaic, and his marriage to actress Sandra Dee (Bosworth) could have been cut and pasted from a dozen other show-biz biopics, leaving the heavy dramatic lifting to a doozy of a family secret that most people will already know before watching. At least the music numbers have some pizzazz. A long time coming to the big screen, the real Dee passed away shortly after the film’s release.

51/100