Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

One of my all time favorites.

Best movie of this year hands down!

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Kevin Spacey did a phenomenal job - the singing was amazing! I did not know about Bobby Darin until I watched this, or that he was married to Sandra Dee, and this was a great story of their love, struggles, and the immense pain of discovering untruths mid-life that have altered his perception of his identity and relationships his entire life. I think this is also a foretelling of the many dual-fame relationships that struggle and often fail when both people are in that Hollywood scene. I give him a lot of credit for not allowing ego to ruin him, but taking the time to explore his soul and understand himself and the legacy he wanted to leave. So many people, some who live a lot longer than he did, never really take that time for self-analysis and reflection. I am happy Kevin Spacey made this movie and paid such a wonderful tribute to a man who lived through immense changes in our country.

Kevin Spacey is an outstanding actor. He is also an exceptionally gifted director. As witness this biography, anything but starchy, of singer- actor Bobby Darin. Titled 'Beyond the Sea' after one of Bobby's hits, this work of art (the word is not too strong!) is not only interpreted by the star of 'Usual Suspects ', it is also sung and danced by Mr. Spacey in the style of his model and practically as well as Bobby Darin himself, as well as co-written (in cooperation with James Toback and Lewis Colick) and, as I put it before, directed – masterfully - by him. This second (and unfortunately last to-date) directorial achievement (after the already amazing « Albino Alligator ») is really breathtaking. Supposing Spacey had only managed to make a good standard biopic, he would already have been entitled to respect, for few are those who are able to juggle so many talents (playing, singing, dancing, writing & directing). But "Beyond the Sea" deserves not only respect but admiration, since besides being technically flawless, it constantly surprises by its imaginative, stimulating non-linear form. Refusing to tell the story of a life from a (the birth of the character) to z (his death), Spacey, allowing himself bold temporal round trips, literally travels through it. I think for example, of the sequences where grown up Darin dialogs with a boy who is none other than the young himself. Quite an offbeat way of entering the mystery of a man (not unlike « All That Jazz », Bob Fosse's masterpiece)... Which does not prevent Spacey from articulating the story of a true artist passing through the different stages of his life (his youth, the first bouts of rheumatic fever, his rise to success after the triumph of 'Splish Splash', his rough marriage with Sandra Dee, his more or less satisfying film career and his death hastened by bad health). All in all, what actually makes the difference with a merely illustrative biopic is how the director manages to bring extra soul to a life story which, although interesting in itself, would not have sufficed to make 'Beyond the Sea' the masterpiece it is.

Not only a fitting tribute to Bobby D., but an impressive display of Spacey's talent as a singer! Kudos, and a standing ovation! I was, and still am, only about ten years Darin's junior, but I missed much of his career as it unfolded. Thanks to 'Beyond the Sea', I became not only a Darin fan, but more appreciative of Mr. Spacey as well. How great that he had the initiative, talent, and money, to pay tribute to a boyhood idol in such an effective and impressive way. I bought the soundtrack to 'Beyond the Sea', (twice), and have listened and enjoyed it more than most any other. Thanks Kevin Spacey, and thank you, Bobby DarinS.H.

Kevin Spacey's heart is always in the right place in Beyond the Sea being both behind the camera and in front of it, profiling the life of the singer Bobby Darin. However, it is Spacey Luke Colick's screenplay where the heart becomes a bit too consumed with comedic instances and biopic clichés rather than illustrating the believable or, better yet, the truth. The film is a crowdpleasing piece of entertainment all around, though, with the ability to mesmerize, delight, encourage singing, and maybe even move the audience to cut loose. Rarely do biopics themselves possess the same traits as the person they are profiling.Bobby Darin always seems to find himself a bit lost in the shuffle when one regards the classic music of the fifties and sixties, sandwiched between the classic rock band and the swooning country singers of the time. However, Darin did enjoy a wide variety of success from movie hits to, of course, several albums and singles before he died at a young thirty-seven years old. The film profiles everything, from his troubled childhood where a vicious illness left him bed-ridden with little optimism for a more stable life, to his more adult, anti-war persona he adopted during the Vietnam was. Also chronicled are numerous moments of arrogance on Darin's part, a rocky marriage with actress Sandra Dee (Kate Bosworth), and many tremendous singing performances by Spacey himself.Spacey embodies Darin, showing him as both a constantly-anxious, creative singer and an often selfish man trying to assume all possible roles in his life in a micromanaging fashion. It's unsurprising to note how well Spacey captures the range of Darin's character with great fluidity and fun but sort of surprising at how marvelous and enchanting Spacey's singing voice is. Easily the hardest part for actors when assuming the role of a classic singer is trying to at least come close to reaching the power his singing-voice had. Joaquin Phoenix did it with Johnny Cash in Walk the Line and Jamie Foxx did it with Ray Charles in Ray (both released in 2004, the same year as Beyond the Sea). And now, Spacey does it with Darin, in a performance more memorable than many instances in the film.Spacey's best singing scene comes late in the film, after Darin has adopted the anti-war attitude in the wake of Vietnam, and sings "Simple Song of Freedom" to a packed house. The song is poetic as it illustrates popular opinion during the Vietnam war, with Spacey delivering hard-hitting lines like, "let it fill the air, tell the people everywhere - we the people here don't want a war." Of course, Darin's other hits are covered throughout the film, such as "Splish Splash" and "That's All," but Spacey truly embodies "Simple Song of Freedom" with vocal precision and the power to engross even the most hardened listener.One of the few things that slow down Beyond the Sea is its intrusive comedy during scenes where it would've been better if Spacey and Colick's script allowed for simply drama to take over. Consider the scene where Bobby has just lost the Oscar at the Academy Awards and is fiercely screaming at Sandra, his long-suffering wife. The scene sort of evolves from a depressing and verbally violent scene to a slightly comedic scene based on Spacey's over-the-top approach to the material at hand. In addition, it's kind of disheartening to see another biopic that feels the need to tack on cheesy and plastic framework for its story by having a young kid challenging Bobby Darin's posse at the beginning of the film that he indeed knows Darin better than all of them.Beyond the Sea still serves as solid biopic fare solely because it does respect to its figure and features some of the most delightful singing this side of musical biographies as well. Spacey and the entire cast work well as a whole, and some anthems are undeniably powerful. There are several leagues when it comes to biopics, from Walk the Line to The Iron Lady and, in this case, Beyond the Sea makes up a league closer to the first-mentioned film.Starring: Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, Bob Hoskins, and John Goodman. Directed by: Kevin Spacey.