Spacey is long in the tooth for it, and yes that does matter, but if he were a few years younger who's to say that he'd be the assured actor who performs this part so well? The movie has some biopic clichés, and some obvious stylistic borrowings, but it tells an interesting story rather well, and it's very easy to get caught in its spell. The inevitable fight scene between Spacey's Darin and Kate Bosworth's Sandra Dee is so deliciously written, and the leads sink their teeth into it with such relish, that it's absolutely irresistible. If Dee really talked like that behind closed doors, I'm going to have to open up some new space in my Respect File. Darin really does deserve the attention too. He was a major talent. By the by, the closing production number is dynamite.
Review of Beyond the Sea
