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MOVIES / ON DVD / BEYOND THE SEA
Beyond the Sea

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Beyond the Sea (2004)

42%
86%
63%
N/A
N/A
N/A
42 %
Reviews Counted: 146 Fresh: 62  Rotten:84 Average Rating: 5.2/10
 
Consensus: Kevin Spacey’s bio of singer Bobby Darin is either a fearless piece of showmanship or an embarrassing vanity project, according to critics.
 

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Rated: 12A

Runtime: 1 hr 58 mins

Theatrical Release: 26-11-2004

Synopsis: For BOBBY DARIN (Kevin Spacey), performing was his life. It kept his heart beating. He came alive onstage, even when he was near collapse offstage. In BEYOND THE SEA, Bobby tells his own story. At age seven, Bobby gets rheumatic fever that damages his heart forever. The doctor tells his... For BOBBY DARIN (Kevin Spacey), performing was his life. It kept his heart beating. He came alive onstage, even when he was near collapse offstage. In BEYOND THE SEA, Bobby tells his own story. At age seven, Bobby gets rheumatic fever that damages his heart forever. The doctor tells his mother POLLY (Brenda Blethyn) he'll be lucky to live to the age of fifteen. Polly and Bobby's older sister NINA (Caroline Aaron) take care of him, along with Nina's husband CHARLIE (Bob Hoskins). Modern medicine and determination keep him alive, his heart's still ticking, and by 20, with the help of his best friend turned manager Steve Blauner (John Goodman) and musical director Dick Behrke (Peter Cincotti) he's working his way up, from tacky clubs to performing in Vegas, finally scoring a hit with 'Splish Splash'. But Bobby wants more. As he tells Life Magazine, he wants to be a legend by 25. MACK THE KNIFE makes him the star he's dreamed of becoming but for him this is only the beginning. The hits keep coming and his life keeps evolving, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in CAPTAIN NEWMAN MD. Never satisfied with success, Bobby continues to reinvent himself and moves from rock and roll into pop, gospel, country & western and folk music. By the end of his brief 14-year career Bobby Darin he's had more hits in more genres of music than any recording artist except Elvis Presley and Ray Charles. When he kicks off his acting career, he meets movie star SANDRA DEE (Kate Bosworth) while filming COME SEPTEMBER in Italy. He falls for her, but has to jump through hoops to get around MARY (Greta Scacchi), Sandy's possessive and overbearing mother. Despite her protests Bobby and Sandy get married and seem like the perfect Hollywood fairytale couple. But the conflict of her acting career and his touring puts a strain on the relationship. His dogged pursuit of fame and fortune isolates him from the very people who love him and believe in him. His master plan for 'Bobby Darin the star' doesn't leave much room for 'Bobby Darin the man'. [More]

Genre: Dramas

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, Brenda Blethyn, Caroline Aaron, Bob Hoskins

Director: Kevin Spacey
Screenwriter: Kevin Spacey, Lewis Colick
Producer: Kevin Spacey, Andrew Paterson, Jan Fantl, Arthur Friedman
Composer: Christopher Slaski

DVD Info

Release:

Jul 6, 2005

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • Keep Case
  • Anamorphic Widescreen - 16:9

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
  • Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 - English

Additional Release Material:

  • Audio Commentary - Kevin Spacey - Director
  • Production Interviews - Cast and Crew
  • Music Videos - Kevin Spacey

Reviews

 
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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Ratings Image
3/5

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Full Review | comment Comment
04/01/06
Empire Magazine
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N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
02/09/06
Time Out
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Ratings Image
3/5

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Full Review | comment Comment
11/27/04
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon
Ratings Image
3/5

Spacey weaves real-life drama with musical set-pieces to create a vibrant and whimsical portrait.

Full Review | comment Comment
11/23/04
Stella Papamichael
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
3.5/5

The production design is overdone on several levels... If it weren't such a compelling story we wouldn't stick with it.

Full Review | comment Comment
10/06/04
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
Ratings Image
N/A

A two hour shoulder shrugger for those too young to even know who Bobby Darin is, and what all this fuss is about.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/30/07
Prairie Miller
Long Island Press
Ratings Image
N/A

Many people under 40 may not even remember Bobby Darin, let alone know about his remarkable life story. Beyond the Sea may rectify that problem and stand as a wonderful tribute to an amazing talent who left us all too soon.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/30/06
Paul Clinton (CNN.com)
CNN.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
3/4

Kevin Spacey's dedication is clear, both in his performance as Darin and in his wonderful direction

Full Review | comment Comment
08/20/06
Jay Antani
Perihelion Journal
N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
07/14/06
Sydney Morning Herald
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Ratings Image
N/A

Primarily a showcase for the considerable talents of Kevin Spacey [who] is worth the price of a ticket, but the film's structure gets in the way.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/08/06
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Ratings Image
1.5/5

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Full Review | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
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N/R

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09/26/05
Onion AV Club
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Ratings Image
N/A

holds nothing back. When it's time for this admittedly offbeat biography to swing, the exuberance of its director-star washes away a lot of reservations.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/06/05
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette
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D

Gimmicky recounting of the crooner’s life.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/03/05
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness
Ratings Image
2.5/4

Serious moments have softened edges, the film rarely feels heavy. Always interesting and entertaining, but never especially deep and certainly not dark.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/06/05
Ross Anthony
Hollywood Report Card
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N/A

It brings little to the usual biopic formula of success followed by ego followed by breakdown, beyond general professionalism.

Full Review | comment Comment
03/01/05
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
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C

A showy, energetic little soap opera whose best moments come when Spacey plays it straight.

Full Review | comment Comment
02/16/05
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)
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B-

...this is a film that might -- like Coppola's One From the Heart -- develop something of a cult following

Full Review | comment Comment
02/11/05
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
N/R

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Full Review | comment Comment
02/06/05
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters
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1.5/4

Kevin Spacey has made a passionless one-man show about the wrong man. It’s a showcase for the star-director's pipes, no doubt, but also his pretensions.

Full Review | comment Comment
02/03/05
Nick Rogers
State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL)
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