How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:148
Fresh:63
Rotten:85
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.
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.... [More]
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, Brenda Blethyn, Caroline Aaron
Director: Kevin Spacey
The film's tortured conceit -- that a peculiarly older-than-reality Darin is making his own autobiopic, comparing memories with a kid who plays the hero as a sickly shrimp -- is its own kind of can't-look-away crazy.
A train wreck structurally, Beyond the Sea is a vanity project that's more about Spacey the producer, director, star, and singer than about Bobby Darin.
A homogenized look at Darin's complicated life that is designed, like most of Spacey's recent films, to produce a showy ego trip for the lead actor and cheap, unearned, beyond-earnest sentiment for the unfortunate, paying customers.
The music is great and kudos to Spacey for his renditions of Bobby Darin’s many songs.
looks beneath the superficial glamour of Bobby Darin to find . . . not a whole lot that would not have been in the fan magazines
What on earth could Spacey be thinking?
Spacey's devotion to Darin may have blinded him to the bigger picture.
The result is a glossy and emotionally unsatisfying film that plays like a series of trite vignettes strung together by adequately staged and performed musical numbers. And that's the name of that tune.
If there is a point, Spacey never makes it clear, nor manages to fully illuminate the people in Darin's orbit.
The awkwardness of the film's structure and its inept theatrics diminish the real drama in Darin's life.
Seems to be telling us a lot more about its star and director, Kevin Spacey, than its ostensible subject, Bobby Darin.
Spacey sings the songs himself, capturing Darin's melodies and mannerisms perfectly, which makes Jamie Foxx's heralded turn as Ray Charles seem like only half a performance.
I wish that it had used Bobby Darin’s voice, that someone more appropriate had been cast as Sandra Dee, and that Darin had been presented with at least a few warts.
The performances are all very strong, but needy characters are hard to really connect with - it's not an overly compelling story... but Kevin can definitely sing.
Exuberant, ambitious biopic that's engaging and entertaining yet strangely superficial. The razzle-dazzle fizzles out.
You can't get much more Hollywood than a movie about a performer in which success is synonymous with quality.
a good looking production with an overblown sense of its subject
Claims its place in the pantheon of shallow, smug, sycophantic biopic disasters.
The movie is about Bobby Darin, but we don't learn a thing about him other than he was arrogant. So, actually, the movie's about Kevin Spacey.
The film is as smooth as Darin himself, slickly produced and well-paced, and it also happens to be stuffed with some fantastic music.
June 29, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Superman" And "Devil" Are Certified Fresh
This week's wide releases both involve publishing. In "The Devil Wears Prada," the setting is a fashion magazine, and in "Superman Returns," it's The Daily... More...
Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.
Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.
IGN.com |
GameSpy |
Comrade |
Arena |
FilePlanet |
GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox |
Planets |
Vaults |
VE3D |
CheatsCodesGuides |
GameStats |
GamerMetrics
AskMen.com |
Rotten Tomatoes |
Direct2Drive |
Green Pixels
IGN RSS Feeds
Comment
