(2013-04-30 05:17:08)

creative, imaginative

Despite all the awful reviews of this film -- and with the caveat that I liked Bobby Darin and love Kevin Spacey -- I think this is a very creative, imaginative production that should have gotten much more credit than it did. Spacey continues to amaze, and the supporting cast was just fine -- how did I miss Patty Duke, though?! Yes, ego-driven, but then Spacey is an actor -- and he was determined to make this film -- for his sake, I wish it had been successful commercially, but then -- when you realize what DOES succeed, maybe that says even more for this film. Definitely worth seeing -- at least once! Probably more. Keep up the good work, Kevin!!!

mike-5186

(2013-04-29 22:01:17)

Really gave me something about Bobby

I just caught it on cable the other day finally. It seemed a littleuneven, or something lacking in the continuity, but after all, itreally brought Bobby to us, I feel. Yeah, Kevin was great, but wealready knew that he was. I grew up listening to Bobby, and hadsometimes heard that he was very taken with himself. I once saw him ona talk show, referring to one of his much earlier performances and hesaid very openly, "I stunk!"I liked the movie, 'cause I liked Bobby, and was glad to learn a numberof things about his life; I had never been a big fan, or curious at allabout his personal life.As I was listening to my WM player library tonight, Beyond The Sea (thesong) came on and I reflected on the movie and felt really grateful forthe portrayal and the reminiscence that the film is.Thanks for this production, and thanks Kevin Spacey.

(2013-04-25 09:46:34)

Way beyond the sea

This review is from: Beyond the Sea (DVD) Kevin Spacey delivers a phenomenal performance in portraying one of America's greatest singing icons. Mr Spacey radiates sensational talent that appears natural and with ease, along with an entire great supporting cast, including the youngster that stars as "Little Bobby", William Ullrich. A standing ovation for everyone on this one is well deserved. This movie is done with class (in reflection of Bobby of course); Instead of possibly sending you away in tears over the loss, it has a way of leaving you with a smile and remembering what remains of a legend :). Thank you Kevin Spacey (who also wrote, directed, and produced), a job well done! All that said, I always thought it was sad that time was cut way too short for Bobby Darin. Rest in peace, gone but not forgotten.

(2013-04-24 23:45:34)

If you lived in the 60's......this is outstanding !!!

Keven does an incredible job.......obvious labor of love.Excellent movie in so many ways. He deserves Oscar for this.Mike CecchiniBethesda, MarylandUSA

(2013-04-10 04:40:12)

A Great Musical!

This review is from: Beyond The Sea (DVD) My gal and I spent a great evening watching this movie.We sang along and laughed and danced around the living room.What else do you want with a muscial?And who would have thought Kevin Spacey was such a great song and dance man.To those that critize this movie as not being "accurate", so would you critize "The King and I" or "South Pacific" for being historically inaccurate?Wish Hollywood would make more movies like this.

(2013-04-09 15:30:02)

Spacey is the Man!

I have been a fan of all movies Spacey since Usual Suspects, and I have to say that Beyond the Sea is one of my favorite Spacey films. He captures the essence of Bobby Darin to a T and I couldn't believe that he sang those songs wonderfully. Bobby Darin would be proud.

(2013-04-08 15:42:29)

WOW!!

Beyond the Sea is the story of Bobby Darin. I knew nothing about him before seeing this movie. I didn't think I knew many of his songs. However, I was surprised to hear so many songs I had heard before; I just didn't know he had done them.Kevin Spacey is simply superb in everything he does in this movie! First and foremost is his singing. These songs are difficult to begin with, but when you are doing your best to copy someone else, it makes it even more difficult. He was completely believable as Bobby Darin.This is an interesting story with interesting characters and is acted out very well. They even worked in a few song and dance numbers that are staged with dancing like in the older musicals. This adds charm and fun to a very captivating story.I highly recommend this movie. It is movie-making and acting at their best.

pjg13

(2013-04-08 04:56:15)

One of the best!

Beyond the Sea is Kevin Spacey's birthright! Spacey is Bobby Darin inthis movie, and perhaps it could be said that he plays Darin betterthan Darin. I had the opportunity to see Bobby Darin perform in Vegas,and while he was a spectacular performer and exhibited a bigger thanlife persona, there was some little thing missing that could have madehim another Sinatra. Spacey must be Darin's soul brother, because hemanages to breathe life into the real Bobby allowing him to be the warmand caring person he was. He always seemed to be a bit stand-offish,and perhaps for good reason. Spacey peels away the layers of anxiety,sadness, and aloneness in a man who was more of himself than he reallyneeded to be. It was something that Darin tried to do, but didn't do itnear as well as Spacey. Excellent directing. Excellent musicalperformance. Excellent acting. It should have received a Golden Globenomination for best movie in a musical category.

user772020

(2013-03-28 01:57:26)

A Surprising Tour DE Force for Kevin Spacey

Kevin Spacey has elevated his stature with this work of art. Remindedme of Costner's "Dances with Wolves" - straight from the heart withtons of affection and an obvious labor of love with the titlecharacter. Spacey's singing and dancing are not to be believed..Irushed out to buy the soundtrack after leaving the movie. All toofrequently I buy into the hype before a movie arrives and then amgravely disappointed. This one caught me flat-footed. I liked BobbyDarin a lot - lukewarm with Sandra Dee - but, this flick boosted myadmiration dramatically.I fail to understand the naysayers - this flick is solid entertainmentand I will buy it as soon as it becomes available.

amyjp43

(2013-03-27 18:59:43)

One of the best movies I've ever seen!

I was too young to remember much of Bobby's life but I remember hismusic and loved it! Keven Spacey, as usual, was wonderful. So talentedin acting and singing. It took me awhile to rent this movie but nowwill add it to my personal DVD collection. It's worth watching over andover. I enjoyed the story of his life. I didn't know much about hismarriage to Sandra Dee. I always thought they split and am happy toknow that didn't happen. That she never remarried and always loved himis so comforting especially in the Hollywood atmosphere. All Iremembered was that he died of a heart attack. Now I understand that hehad a heart condition from rheumatic fever. Very sad that a wonderfulentertainer was taken so soon in a wonderful career. And, kudos to Doddfor keeping the memory of his wonderful father and mother alive!

ss-95

(2013-03-19 22:36:37)

Epilogue/follow up of persons portrayed in movie

I thought the movie was good in that it developed the characters andcaused the viewers to sympathize with Bobby Darin, learn quite a bitabout his life, and to actually like him. I especially enjoyed the partdealing with his anti-war protest material and involvement with RobertKennedy. I learned from looking at material on a website that Darinactually campaigned for Robert Kennedy. My chief complaint with themovie is that at the end of the movie there were explanations of whatseveral of the main characters went on to do or achieve. Most of thewriting (possibly because I viewed it at home, on a 27 inch TV screen)at the end of the movie was ineligible, blurred or possibly justwritten in a "difficult to read" print style or font. Does anybody knowhow I can find out what happened to the people who were portrayed inthis biographical movie since it was nearly impossible for us to readon our television screen?

Jimmy714

(2013-03-19 13:24:08)

Not exactly what I expected........

When I think back of the various biopics about rock stars, Beyond theSea surely separates itself from the others. Kevin Spacey directed thismovie based on Bobby Darin's life in a somewhat abstract manner. ThoughI found his reminisces of childhood somewhat unique, Mr. Spacey leftout quite a large chunk of Bobby Darin's life and focused on only twoaspects, his childhood and his marriage to Sandra Dee.In La Bamba and The Buddy Holly Story there was a little more depthinto the lives of Richie Valens and Buddy Holly. Beyond the Sea quicklyglances over the rise of Bobby Darin.With that said, I must surely comment positively on the singingaccomplishment of Kevin Spacey who pulls off a wonderful performance asBobby Darin, the singer. Spacey's renditions of Mr. Darin's songs arearguably the best anyone will ever come to matching Bobby Darin'svoice. I closed my eyes, listened and there was no difference in thetwo.I have always loved Bobby Darin's music. As a matter of fact the daythat I was born (Nov 4 1959) Mack The Knife was the number one song inAmerica. I do recommend this movie with caution. If you are looking foran in depth story on Mr. Darin's life, this movie will not give all ofthe answers.

Gobobo

(2013-03-13 02:01:47)

A Cack-handed Compliment

First off, I'm a fan of Kevin Spacey. I've watched several movies withhim in them and I'd say he's one of the better actors of our times andgenerally chooses decent scripts. I'd even go as far to say I'veenjoyed watching all the films he has been in - until this one. He comes across as creepy, trying to play a young, energetic singerbeing carried away on a tide of newfound stardom and having cheateddeath. Spacey's attempts at being young are, frankly, embarrassing. Hewafts his hands around, skips, contorts his face to try to lookoptimistic and generally makes a complete fool of himself. Towards the end of the film he seems more natural; although he's stillplaying someone at least a decade younger than his age, he can act. Hedoes bitter, down-trodden, negative and calculating parts very well. Ididn't realise, though, that his acting abilities were quite solimited. Unless he did a bad job here on purpose?Although I'm not a fan of Darin, I do hope someone does as bad a job ofhonoring Spacey after he has gone. Some say you have to respect Spaceyfor doing something completely original and imaginative to tell thestory, but it's supposed to be a tribute to a talented performer wholived under a cloud most of his life and died at a young age. A littlemore sensitivity should've been used.

(2013-03-12 15:10:25)

I love this movie

This review is from: Beyond The Sea (DVD) The songs selected for this movie are great and Kevin really sings them well. I don't mind playing it over and over again while cleaning the house or just relaxing. My pets love to listen to it too.

(2013-02-28 02:03:11)

Superb performance ;->

Kevin Spacey is amazing. He really is the actor that can do almost anything. Kevin doesn't just act in this - it's almost like he really IS Darin. His Bobby Darin look alike performance in Beyond The Sea was truly brilliant and his vocals and dancing were outstanding too. This movie really details Bobby's life and his love affair with Sandra Dee (Kate Bosworth) fairly accurately. Kevin is a good actor whether he's playing a gangster, criminal or a real-life entertainer - the King of Hollywood. This movie is good for everyone to see, whether or not you were a Bobby Darin fan or not. It follows the rise of Darin from 'nothing' to the legend he eventually became. The music is great (especially Mack The Knife and the title song Beyond The Sea). If you want a movie with drama, romance and fantastic music, this is a must. I bought this dvd a year ago, and still play it often. It's great and I highly recommend it.

(2013-02-27 13:18:08)

"beyond the sea" kevin spacey is beyond my comprehension

what possessed kevin spacey to play as bobby darin in this film is beyond my comprehension...in the first place, he doesn't look at all like bobby darin and he is toooooo old for the role.bobby darin reached fame when he was in his mid-twenties... or younger.maybe, spacey can carry a tune but he can't dance...i felt embarrass watching him dance... and kate bosworth looked like his daughter... instead of a wife.

(2013-02-11 18:16:19)

Entertaining Film-

I just finished watching this delightful film. I really enjoyed it, although as some other reviewers have noted, Kevin Spacey is too old to have played the young Bobby in scenes from 'Come September', etc... With that point put aside, I think that Kevin was wonderful and his singing fantastic! I was expecting a general bio type film and was pleasently surprised to find this a fantasy musical as well as a biography. I think the reviewers/critics were alittle unfair to pan this film. Yes, some scenes were over the top, and again, Kevin was too old to play Bobby Darin in his 20's, but shouldn't films be a take on the vision of the director and the actors. Today we are filled with 'reality' and are stuck watching wife swapping, nannies taming unruly children, and last but not least...Paris Hilton trying a variety of jobs. If this is entertainment and reality, then give me more movies like this one that take you away to a world of fantasy mixed with reality- Overall, this was a very good film and a fun ride for fans of Bobby Darin- I think Kevin Spacey should be complimented for bringing his vision to the screen in such a loving way.

(2013-02-11 07:24:34)

Kevin Spacey as Bobby Darin

I've always been a huge fan of Bobby Darin and Kevin Spacey does a fantastic job of portraying him. I'm so happy to have this movie in my collection. Thanks!

Bob-45

(2013-01-30 06:30:53)

Brilliantly conceived and executed.

"Kevin Spacey as Bobby Darin?" I shook my head in disbelief. THEN, Iremembered what an outstanding job Gary Busey did as Buddy Holly. So, Idecided to give this one a chance. Boy! Am I glad! "Beyond the Sea"works on EVERY level. informative biography, sublimely entertainingmusical, innovative fantasy and strong drama. Since this was Spacey's"pet project" for years, I'm sure he would have preferred filming itwhen he was younger. However, Spacey's solution is brilliant; by makingthe story a flashback, after Darin was aging and in poor health, Icould accept Spacey, since he is portraying Darin's life as DarinREMEMBERS it; and, like most of us, Darin remembers his life as he isat the end of it.The cast is uniformly excellent, though I would have preferred MonicaPotter over Kate Bosworth as Sandra Dee. While, at a distance, Bosworthresembles Dee, Monica Potter resembles Dee as well as Spacey doesDarin.While Spacey is not the accomplished vocalist Darin was, who is?Certainly Spacey acquits himself wonderfully acting, singing ANDdancing. The dance routines are especially inspired, as Spacey displayssuch energy, it is easy to forget his age. When I remembered Spacey isalso directing this film, I can only marvel at his talent.Altogether the most satisfying musical biography I've seen, I give"Beyond the Sea" a "10".

Martha PN

(2013-01-29 18:03:05)

Spacey has a talent that never quits

I weent to see Beyond the Sea only to check out Kevin Spacey in his first all-dancing, all-singing role. I expected to like him; I always do. He is a marvel here as usual. But I did not expect to like the movie; I couldn't remember a bio-pic I really liked. Then, as I watched Beyond the Sea, I remembered one that was a winner, All That Jazz. Clearly Spacey has taken his inspiration from that film, and it works quite well. Having seen the film, I am now surprised by the ungenerous reviews it has received. Here is an actor/director/dancer/singer willing to take a big risk, and instead of applauding his talent and guts, the reviewers want to shoot him down. Well, I am here to say that Beyond the Sea is a film with an open heart that pulls the audience into the life of a man in whom I was, I must say, not particularly interested. But Beyond the Sea reveals a human story that is irresistible. If there are a few problems, they are predictably caused by Spacey's attempt to make his originality accessible. I wish he had trusted the audience a little more, but I came out of the film with new understanding, having been very entertained. Bravo, Spacey!!