Susan Granger’s review of “Beyond the Sea” (Lions Gate Films)
Kevin Spacey is one of the most talented actors of the current generation but there’s no way that – at age 45 – he can play a teenager or even a twentysomething. That’s self-deluding fantasy – and the fatal flaw in his exuberant, ambitious biopic of crooner Bobby Darin who died at age 37. The story begins on a soundstage as Darin (Spacey) is directing a movie about himself. The young actor (William Ullrich) who plays Bobby as a boy interrupts the scene to correct a plot point about how rheumatic fever permanently damaged the singer’s heart. That’s when his mom (Brenda Blethlyn) gave him the gift of music. Supported by his devoted sister (Caroline Aaron), her husband (Bob Hoskins), manager (John Goodman) and music director (Peter Cincotti), Darin’s career subsequently flourished, leading to his motion picture pairing with teen icon Sandra Dee (Kate Bosworth), whom he wooed and wed over the objections of her protective mother (Greta Scacchi) – and, finally, to his dream of playing Manhattan’s Copacabana nightclub. As director/producer/star, Kevin Spacey is terrific as he impersonates the brassy, finger-snapping Darin, warbling “Mack the Knife” and “Beyond the Sea.” Impressively, Spacey did all the vocals to big-band arrangements supplied by Dodd Darin, Bobby’s son who was 12 when his father died – and Spacey’s taking his Darin songs on a nightclub tour. Even his dancing is sensational. On the minus side, however, Spacey is never convincing and Kate Bosworth evokes vapid Loni Anderson more than perky Sandra Dee. Lewis Colick’s clichŽ-filled, rosy-hued script serves as between-the-numbers connective. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Beyond the Sea” is an engaging, entertaining yet strangely superficial 6. The razzle-dazzle fizzes out.
