Beyond the Sea (2004 film)
Beyond the Sea | |
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Directed by | Kevin Spacey |
Written by |
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Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Eduardo Serra |
Edited by | Trevor Waite |
Music by | Bobby Darin |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Lions Gate Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 118 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $25 million |
Box office | $8.4 million |
Beyond the Sea is a 2004 American biographical musical drama film based on the life of singer-actor Bobby Darin. Starring in the lead role and using his own singing voice for the musical numbers, Kevin Spacey co-wrote, directed, and co-produced the film, which takes its title from Darin's song of the same title.
Beyond the Sea depicts Darin's rise to success in both the music and film industry during the 1950s and 1960s as well as his marriage to Sandra Dee, portrayed by Kate Bosworth.
As early as 1986, Barry Levinson intended to direct a film based on the life of Darin, and he began pre-production on the project in early 1997. When he eventually vacated the director's position, Spacey, along with Darin's son Dodd, acquired the film rights.
Filming for Beyond the Sea took place from November 2003 to January 2004. It was released in December 2004 to mixed reviews from critics and bombed at the box office. Dodd Darin, Sandra Dee and former Darin manager Steve Blauner responded with enthusiastic feedback to Spacey's work on the film. Despite a number of negative reviews, some critics praised Spacey's performance, largely because of his decision to use his own singing voice. He received a Golden Globe nomination.
Plot
Rather than providing a straightforward biography, the film weaves fantasy sequences with scenes containing somewhat fictionalized accounts of events in Darin's life, and throughout it, the adult singer interacts with his younger self. It chronicles his determination to rise from his working-class roots as Walden Robert Cassotto, a frail boy from The Bronx plagued by multiple bouts of rheumatic fever, who becomes a singer more famous than Frank Sinatra. To achieve that goal, he forms a band and struggles to find gigs at any nightclub that will hire him.
His agent gets Darin a recording contract with
As success takes him on the road and away from home, Dee begins to drink heavily, and the couple fights frequently. Eventually, they separate and later reconcile. She gives birth to a son, Dodd. To his actress wife's chagrin, Darin is nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as a shell shocked soldier in Captain Newman, M.D.
In the late 1960s, Darin becomes involved in the campaign to elect Robert F. Kennedy for President and contemplates a political career of his own. His sister Nina, knowing his past will be investigated closely if Bobby opts to enter the political arena, shocks him with the news his beloved mother actually was his grandmother and that he is Nina's illegitimate child, the son of a father she cannot identify.
Devastated, Darin becomes a recluse living in a trailer on the Big Sur coast in California. He finds himself out of step with changing music trends, and when he tries to adapt by incorporating folk music and protest songs into his repertoire, he finds himself rejected by the audience that once embraced him. Undaunted, he stages a show, complete with a gospel choir, at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, and against all odds, it is a huge success.
However, his triumph is short-lived. Suffering from blood poisoning following surgery to repair his mechanical heart valve, Darin is rushed to the hospital, where he dies at the age of 37. Following his death, he meets the younger counterpart of himself once again, and the two duet with "As Long as I'm Singing".
Cast
- Kevin Spacey as Bobby Darin, who rises from his lower-class roots to become one of the most popular rock and roll and big band performers of all time.
- William Ullrich as Young Bobby.
- Kate Bosworth as Sandra Dee, the popular actress who marries Bobby. Although they divorced in 1967, Sandra said she always truly and deeply loved him and that she always would do so and thus never remarried.
- Bob Hoskins as Charlie Maffia, who serves as a father figure and considers Bobby to be his son.
- John Goodman as Stephen Blauner, Bobby's dedicated talent manager. Blauner later becomes a successful film producer with movies such as The King of Marvin Gardens (1972) and Drive, He Said (1971).
- Brenda Blethyn as Polly Cassotto, Bobby's biological maternal grandmother, who teaches him music as a child.
- Caroline Aaron as Nina Cassotto Maffia, Bobby's biological mother, whom he believed to be his older sister until she tells him the truth when he is 33.
- Greta Scacchi as Mary Douvan, Sandra's overprotective mother.
- Peter Cincotti as Dick Behrke, Bobby's arranger and pianist.
- Matt Rippy as David Gershenson, Bobby's publicist.
Development
Barry Levinson
Beginning in 1986,
Meanwhile, in May 1994, Warner Bros.
Beginning in 1994, Kevin Spacey first offered his services to portray Bobby Darin,[10] but the filmmakers believed the actor was too old. Around then, Spacey coincidentally performed the cover version of Darin's "That Old Black Magic" for the soundtrack of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.[11] The actor explained that after 1994, "at least three times a year, my manager would call over to Warner Bros. and say, 'Hey, what's happening with that Bobby Darin movie? You guys ever going to make it?'"[12]
With filming to originally begin in late 1997, pre-production for Dreamer was commencing, and Levinson began to discuss the film with various actors, including Johnny Depp as Bobby Darin, Drew Barrymore as Sandra Dee,[13] Bette Midler as Darin's birth mother Nina and Bruno Kirby as Nina's husband/Darin's right-hand man, Charlie Mafia.[9] Levinson eventually vacated the director's position in favor of Liberty Heights (1999);[14] because he was unable to get Dreamer into production, Warner Bros. lost the music licensing rights, which reverted to the Darin estate.[9]
Kevin Spacey
In March 1999, Dick Clark Productions announced their teaming with Dodd Darin on a biopic,[15] with collaboration from producer Arthur Friedman, who had been developing both The Bobby Darin Story and Dreamer with Levinson at Warner Bros. since 1986.[16] Shortly afterwards, Spacey was in discussions with Dodd Darin to star in the lead role.[17] Spacey was able to acquire the film rights from Warner Bros. in early 2000.[12] With the help of Dodd Darin, the actor also received exclusive music rights for no charge.[18] With his Academy Award-winning performance in American Beauty (1999) - which featured a number of Darin's songs, Paramount Pictures became interested in distributing/financing Beyond the Sea. The deal fell apart when Paramount told Spacey that he was too old for the role and instead wanted Leonardo DiCaprio.[3] Beginning in October 2000, Spacey took vocal training lessons[19] from Darin collaborator Roger Kellaway to give an accurate portrayal of the singer.[20]
"Bobby was a man I found very compelling, driven, ambitious and complicated. He challenged himself and never sat back on his laurels. It's sad that he didn't live longer, but I don't think his life was tragic. I view his life as inspiring." |
— Kevin Spacey[6] |
Spacey also kept close relations with the Darin family as a means to know he would treat the film "with respect." He sent letters to that effect to Sandra Dee and son Dodd.[20] Steve Blauner (who is portrayed by John Goodman in the film) also served as a historical consultant.[18] Dodd originally considered Spacey's plan to sing his father's material a sacrilege but eventually fell into sync with Spacey's deeply empathetic approach to Darin's life.[3]
Tom Epperson, who had struck up a friendship with Spacey while writing an early screenplay draft of The Shipping News, was hired to write a new draft for Beyond the Sea. Epperson's script included Darin's penchant for orgies after his divorce with Sandra Dee. Spacey, finding the Epperson script to be overtly dark and morbid, began to rewrite Beyond the Sea, incorporating info from the 1987 Lewis Colick script.[3] Spacey acknowledged he portrayed Darin too sympathetically and decided not to depict the darker side of Darin's life centrally. "The other scripts made Bobby [Darin] a rather unlikable figure," he explained. "I was not interested in making a conventional biopic, as you can see from the results. I was interested in making an exuberant celebration of an entertainer in a way that would be uplifting for an audience."[21]
By making the biopic, Dodd Darin and Spacey acknowledged the similar career experiences between Darin and Spacey. "A lot of people doubted my dad's abilities, and Kevin's had doubters and naysayers," Dodd commented. "But both [men] were willing to take risks, and both were very resilient. My dad would always try new things. You could never pin him down. Kevin's career is similar."
"I think the movie is about mothers and sons," Spacey said, referring to Darin's relationship with his mother Polly and sister Nina. Spacey's mother, Kathleen Fowler, died of brain cancer just before production started, as such, the film is dedicated in her memory, with the text "for Mom", being displayed before the credits. "I made the movie for all mothers, but especially for my mother. She introduced me to Bobby Darin. When she got very ill in 2002, I stopped everything and took care of her. We constantly played Bobby Darin records, and I'd let her listen to the tracks I was recording. I'm glad she passed knowing this was the movie I was going to make."[6] After his award-winning performances in The Usual Suspects and American Beauty, Spacey "chose to move away from dark, sarcastic characters, and instead play damaged but good-hearted men"[6] in films like Pay It Forward, K-PAX and The Shipping News. The actor was criticized for his career move; Spacey acknowledged the similarities when Darin integrated folk music and protest songs.[6]
Production
In February 2003, it was announced that production for Beyond the Sea was becoming fast tracked with Spacey as lead actor, co-writer, producer and director, and
In addition, Spacey declined to be paid for his work as actor, director, co-writer, and producer on Beyond the Sea. A portion of the $25 million budget came from his own
Music
The soundtrack album features 18 tracks performed by Kevin Spacey.
Release
Marketing
To promote Beyond the Sea, Spacey and
WGA arbitration
Beginning in October 2004, the
Spacey said Meek was "not a hired writer" on Beyond the Sea. "He turned in a draft, but it was a draft based on earlier material based on my own screenplays,"[3] Spacey said. Meek said he was hired by producer Harvey Friedman, a friend who helped connect him with Spacey, and whom supports his claim to have produced 12 drafts, including one that was reported by Variety to have been greenlighted by MGM in early 2003. "He bought my material and then acted like I didn't exist," Meek explained. "I'm not saying I'm Rembrandt, but it's like someone buying a painting and then scratching the name off of it and putting their own there."[3]
Reception
Critical response
Beyond the Sea received mixed reviews from critics. Based on 147 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, 42% of the critics gave the film a positive review, with an average score of 5.2/10. Its consensus states "Kevin Spacey's bio of singer Bobby Darin is either a fearless piece of showmanship or an embarrassing vanity project, according to critics."[29] Metacritic calculated a weighted average score of 46/100, based on 35 reviews.[30]
"I'm very happy with the way the film turned out. Kevin loves my dad, and he wanted to do a tribute. My mother [who never remarried after her split from Darin] was speechless for a while after she saw it. It was emotional for her. There was a lot of truth and grit. But she couldn't be happier." |
— Dodd Darin[6] |
Box office
The film opened in
Accolades
Spacey was nominated for the
Home media
On June 7, 2005, the film was released on DVD in
References
- ^ Army Archerd (2003-08-13). "'Judas' telepic wants 'Passion' separation". Variety. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ Army Archerd (1994-12-01). "Culkin kids ink with WMA". Variety. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Dennis McDougal (2004-11-21). "Kevin Spacey's Battle for Bobby Darin". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
- ^ Claudia Eller (1994-04-20). "Dish: Par grabs Baltimore". Variety. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ Army Archerd (1993-12-20). "Three film offers on Stern's table". Variety. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ New York Daily News.
- ^ Army Archerd (1994-05-27). "Dove ready to go public". Variety. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ Staff (1998-06-23). "'Liberty' rings; femmes say hello, young lovers". Variety. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ a b c Michael Fleming (1996-12-03). "'Wag' snags Levinson in 'Sphere' time". Variety. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ a b Army Archerd (2004-01-21). "Spacey's Darin biopic nears completion". Variety. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ Army Archerd (1998-01-08). "Spacey dreams of playing Darin". Variety. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ a b c d Jeff Otto (2004-12-15). "Interview: Kevin Spacey". IGN. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
- ^ Michael Fleming (1997-03-24). "BRANDO, NORTON, DEPP WOOED FOR BIO LEADS". Variety. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ Michael Fleming (1997-11-19). "Levinson tunes up". Variety. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ Cynthia Littleton (1999-03-05). "Dick Clark bands with Darin son to produce Bobby biopic". Variety. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ Benedict Carver (1999-04-20). "Friedman nabs WB Darin bio". Variety. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ Army Archerd (1999-12-21). "Spacey dreams of Darin biopic". Variety. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ a b c Cathy Dunkley (2003-06-25). "Spacey takes on Darin role in 'Sea'". Variety. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ Army Archerd (2000-03-14). "Acad to break in Oscar's new home". Variety. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ a b c d Cathy Dunkley (2003-02-19). "Spacey splashes into 'Sea'". Variety. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ a b Allison Hope Weiner (2004-12-20). "Q&A with Kevin Spacey". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2012-10-06. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
- ^ a b Dana Harris; Cathy Dunkley (2003-08-11). "MDP, MGM bail on 'Sea'". Variety. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Adam Dawtrey (2003-08-13). "Element X sets sail with Spacey's 'Sea'". Variety. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ a b c Army Archerd (2004-08-18). "Spacey sings the praises of Darin". Variety. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ David Williams, prop driver
- ^ "Movie Preview: Beyond the Sea". Entertainment Weekly. 2004-08-09. Archived from the original on 2014-12-22. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
- ^ Willa Paskin (2004-12-12). "Spacey bathes in 'Sea' of songs". Variety. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ Richard Corliss (2004-09-27). "Toronto: The Early Line for Oscar". Time. Archived from the original on March 9, 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
- ^ "Beyond the Sea". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2009-07-18.
- ^ "Beyond the Sea (2004)". Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
- ^ Mick LaSalle (2004-12-29). "'Beyond the Sea' there's a great big ocean of awful". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
- ^ Desson Thomson (2004-12-31). "Spacey's Shallow 'Sea'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
- ^ James Berardinelli. "Beyond the Sea". ReelViews. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (December 28, 2004). "Beyond the Sea". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on March 12, 2008. Retrieved January 21, 2009.
- ^ Stephen Holden (2004-12-17). "Soaring Rise and Splashy Fall of an Ambitious, Sleek and Fragile Teen Idol". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
- Rolling Stone. Archived from the originalon March 12, 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
- ^ "Beyond the Sea". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
- Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
- Amazon.com. 7 June 2005. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
External links
- Quotations related to Beyond the Sea (2004 film) at Wikiquote
- Beyond the Sea at IMDb
- Beyond the Sea at Box Office Mojo
- Beyond the Sea at Rotten Tomatoes
- Beyond the Sea at Metacritic