BEYOND THE SEA

BEYOND THE SEA has real strengths. Kevin Spacey gives a wonderful performance as Bobby Darin, communicating Darin’s awareness of his own mortality. Kate Bosworth is stunning as Sandra Dee, and the music numbers recall the golden age of musicals.

But the film’s unusual structure repeatedly interrupts its own drama. It shifts among musical, biography, intellectual exercise, and extremely arty filmmaking, while the story moves between Darin’s thoughts, direct communication with the audience, and reflections on making the film. The result is disjointed, and its poignant moments often come off as flat.

The content also makes this a poor family choice: constant foul language, drinking, smoking, medicines, and ruthless ambition. Adults who value the performances and music may find merit here, but most viewers should wait for home viewing.

BEYOND THE SEA follows pop idols Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee. It begins with Darin singing “Mack the Knife” in a nightclub before he sees himself as a small boy and interrupts the filming of his own biography.

He then goes with young Bobby to the editing room to debate where the story should begin and how it should be told. From there, the film explores Darin’s rise from a seriously ill child to a famous singer, songwriter, and actor.

Three stars means a film with considerable talent and appeal that falls short of its potential. Spacey does a wonderful job playing Darin, and Bosworth plays Sandra Dee to a “T.” The acting is the best part of the movie.

The music numbers are a close second. They are reminiscent of the golden age of musicals, and Spacey’s dance numbers come off very well. The problem is the artificial storytelling. The continual shifts in structure break the dramatic action and weaken the emotional foundation. BEYOND THE SEA could have been much better.

The film presents a very mild moral worldview centered on a famous singer trying to do the right thing, hold his marriage together, and discover the truth about his life. There is very slight Christian content, but the movie more often presents aggressive opportunism and the vagaries of the human condition.

Bobby Darin’s effort to remain committed to his wife offers a moral good, even amid severe arguments. Yet that good is muddled by the film’s presentation of Darin’s cold arrogance, ruthless ambition, and morally compromised pursuit of success. His ill health and awareness of mortality also give the story a serious undercurrent, though the film does not develop its emotional structure strongly enough.

The film’s central questions concern truth, identity, marriage, ambition, and what it means to do right in a fragile life. Scripture says, “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).

BEYOND THE SEA gives adults strong acting and appealing musical numbers, but its disjointed structure and caution-level content limit its audience. For most viewers, the wise choice is WAIT FOR HOME — ADULTS ONLY. For a different family movie night, see.