Beyond The Sea

The short life of singer Bobby Darin is colorfully illustrated in Kevin Spacey's affectionate biopic about the crooner who made the song "Splish Splash" a hit. Although arguably too old for the part (Darin died at 37, Spacey is 45) Kevin Spacey nails Darin's vocal phrasing perfectly throughout the film's many musical set pieces with Spacey himself singing the songs that made Darin famous in the '50s and '60s. Close in execution to the recent Cole Porter biopic "De Lovely," "Beyond The Sea" constantly pivots off of episodes in Darin's life to fill the screen with full-blown chorus filled renditions of songs. More than 10-years in the making, the movie is a labor of love from Kevin Spacey, and Kate Bosworth is superb as Darin's charming wife Sandra Dee.

Rated PG-13 114 mins. (B-) (Three Stars)