Beyond the Sea (2004)

Director:

Kevin Spacey

Writers (WGA):

Kevin Spacey (written by) and
Lewis Colick (written by)

Release Date:

29 December 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Music | Musical

Tagline:

BOBBY DARIN . . . in the era of cool he was the soundtrack.

Plot:

A swooning study of "Mack the Knife" singer Bobby Darin (Spacey) specifically, and his relationship with his wife Sandra Dee (Bosworth).

Plot Keywords:

Bittersweet | Dysfunctional Marriage | Composer | Career | Nostalgic

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 4 nominations

Cast

Kevin Spacey	...	Bobby Darin
Kate Bosworth	...	Sandra Dee
John Goodman	...	Steve Blauner
Bob Hoskins	...	Charlie Cassotto Maffia
Brenda Blethyn	...	Polly Cassotto
Greta Scacchi	...	Mary Duvan
Caroline Aaron	...	Nina Cassotto Maffia
Peter Cincotti	...	Dick Behrke
William Ullrich	...	Little Bobby Darin
Michael Byrne	...	Dr. Andretti
Matt Rippy	...	David Gershenson
Gary Whelan	...	Jules Podell
Jake Broder	...	1st Assistant Director
Tayfun Bademsoy	...	Ahmet Ertegun
Tomas Spencer	...	Delivery Guy

Also Known As:

Beyond the Sea - Musik war sein Leben (Germany)
Bobby Darin Biopic (USA) (working title)
Beyond the Sea (Finland) [fi]
Pera apo ti thalassa (Greece) [el]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some strong language and a scene of sensuality.

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA | Germany | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

South Korea:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:12 (DVD rating) | New Zealand:M | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:K-3 | Australia:M | Germany:o.Al. | UK:12A | Singapore:PG | USA:PG-13 (certificate #41250) | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company:

Lions Gate Films

Trivia:

The lead role was offered to Tom Cruise who rejected the script.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The film omits several key people (including Darin's second wife), and some key events (including how he learned the truth about his background) did not take place as shown.

Quotes:

Polly Cassotto: You can never go wrong with the truth.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)

Soundtrack:

Rock Island Line

An Excellent Tribute By A Fan, For Fans of Bobby Darin

I've been a big fan of Bobby Darin's music for decades, particularly his renditions of standards and I have to agree with Gene Shalit on this, Kevin Spacey nails as best he can, without plastic surgery the late great singer. The film is, as Spacey says in the film, a fantasy and works on many levels, beginning with an attempt at a biographical picture and disecting his life through his eyes and through the eyes of a wary young man. Bob Hoskins as Darin's brother in law, Caroline Aaron as his sister, John Goodman as his manager and Kate Bosworth as Sandra Dee all give excellent performances, without which I may have agreed with some other critics. As is, it's a strong performance and most of the critics who panned this film should reconsider who they think _their_ audience is. At 200 minutes, I never felt it was long and enjoyed the musical scores throughout. Thank you, Mr. Kevin Spacey, for a fine film I'll watch again and again. You should consider cutting an album of your own.