I went to see BTS with a friend who did not know who Bobby Darin was nor even Kevin Spacey was for that matter. Did she enjoy it? It would be an understatement to say she enjoyed it.
Of course it�s an understatement for me too. I absolutely loved the film, and this is no biased comment. The movie was beyond my expectations, beyond my belief that a Kevin Spacey could portray Darin with such energy, drive, and charisma, not to mention sing, dance, act, produce, direct, and write the story of a talented musician who lived a life too short, yet a very inspiring one.
I knew that Spacey would do an excellent job. What I didn�t know is that he could do this magnificent of one.
When I first told my friend about Kevin�s singing and dancing and its relevance to the film, she thought there was Kevin Spacey the singer besides the Kevin Spacey the actor. So, she thought there were two Kevin Spaceys out there. And boy was she surprised to find out they were the same person.
Beyond the Sea was like no other Kevin Spacey film I have ever seen. It was pure entertainment, funny, dramatic, romantic, endearing, and nostalgic. Every second of it had my interest, the movie told a good story, and had a good level of complexity going on. All those reviews that had said Spacey was too old for the role and that the story did not �delve beneath the surface,� I believe, missed the point of the film entirely. The dance sequences, each song melting into each scene and advancing the plot were just exquisitely done. Considering that this is only Spacey�s 2nd time directing, the film is beautifully shot that you�d think a long-time pro had done it! The casting of the young Bobby and the young Dodd were right on too! The young Dodd has an uncanny resemblance to the Dodd Darin today.
I have seen many musicals and biopics before, but this one tops the list. Won�t mention any names, but some of the above type of films had choppy transitions between songs. I found it annoying that they would lead you into a song, and then have it cut off at a very weird moment and left you hanging, wanting more. I just wanted to say, play the rest of the song! However in BTS, Spacey does not let you have one of those awful hanging moments. He crafts his movie in such a way that songs
are integrated smoothly and appropriately, you hardly notice the transition. And, he does NOT cut off songs, if anything, he lets the piece finish before moving on. Spacey also let the songs facilitate the storyline rather than just randomly placing them anywhere.
While the movie does have an uplifting feel, it did not hesitate to show the darker sides of Darin�s life, the uncertainty of his family, his ailing heart, his tiredness from singing on stage. But, I will not say anymore about the movie now, before I give anything away. I just wish it were playing in many many more theatres, so that it would be convenient for all of you to see it!
BTS is only showing in one theatre here in Irvine (and Irvine has lots of theatres!) The audience for the showtime I attended was on the older side, must have mainly been Darin fans, but we were all moved by the film. There was one tearjerker scene, and the lady in the row in front of me was bawling her eyes out, had to keep dabbing them, while another guy kept honkin� his nose for the next ten minutes! It was that moving.