A review of the Bobby Darin biopic "Beyond the Sea"

Beyond the Sea is a 2004 biographical movie chronicling the life of the legendary American singer and actor Bobby Darin. The movie features Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth in the lead roles. This article reviews the movie and its critical success.

The story of Beyond the Sea

Born as Walden Robert Cassotto on 14th May 1936, Bobby Darin was an accomplished singer, actor and musician. Darin grew up in a working class Italian family living in the Bronx at the time of the Great Depression and is remembered for his determination to become successful. The stars life was sadly cut short at the age of 37, yet not before songs such as Mack the Knife and Splish Splash made Bobby Darin a teen idol of the 50s and 60s. Although based around the life of Darin, Beyond the Sea is more than the standard movie biography. Throughout the events of his life, Darin interacts with a child version of himself and the two of them learn to deal with the trials and heartaches of the singers attempt to make it big in the music industry. Darin's story is no ordinary one and Beyond the Sea highlights his efforts to balance health issues, marriage and family life with a career ambition to become bigger than Frank Sinatra.

The cast

Kevin Spacey - Spacey plays the lead role of Bobby Darin, the aspiring musician from the Bronx. During the movie, Spacey sings all of the songs and is noted for his uncanny resemblance to Darin. Kate Bosworth - Bosworth stars as Sandra Dee, the American actress who became Darin's wife in 1960. John Goodman - Goodman takes on the role of Steve Blauner who was Darin's manager. Bob Hoskins - As Charlie Cassotto Maffia, Hoskins plays the part of Darin's guardian and father figure. Brenda Blethyn - Bletyhn plays Polly Cassotto, Darin's biological grandmother whom Darin himself believes to be his actual mother. Caroline Aaron - Aaron stars as Nina Cassotto Maffia. Nina is Darin's biological mother but only tells him at the age of 33, up until when he was told that she was his sister.

Critical reception

Since its release, the Bobby Darin biography Beyond the Sea has received mixed reviews from critics. It currently holds a score of 6.6 on the Internet Movie Database and a rating of 43% on Rotten Tomatoes. On the other hand, son Dodd Darin, Sandra Dee and Steve Blauner are all known to have supported the film and were impressed by Spacey's portrayal of Darin. For his performance, Kevin Spacey was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.