Beyond the Sea

Kevin Spacey's film is a two-hour love letter to himself, writing, directing and starring in this biopic about Bobby Darin. He’s not bad in the role, and he even has the pipes needed to perform all the songs himself, but he’s way too old for the part. It’s pretty distracting and even a bit creepy to see Spacey play the teenage Bobby Darin opposite the actually teenage Kate Bosworth. Bosworth, though, is really amazing in the role of Sandra Dee. You’d have to have seen some Sandra Dee films to appreciate her performance, but it’s got the surreal, plywood-on-acid quality that Dee herself brought to the screen. Other than the fine musical numbers, lovely and well-photographed choreography, and precise attention to detail in sets and props, though, the film is a bit slow and self-indulgent. Best reserved for the true fans of Bobby Darin, and for the true fans of Kevin Spacey, of whom I think the truest is Spacey himself.