reviews: December 2004 Archives

Yes, Kevin Spacey has been in something of a slump recently. But Hollywood had better take notice: Mr. Spacey is back with a vengeance. Few people in Hollywood are talented enough to simultaneously act and direct -- it is a very short list. But the list becomes even shorter when you ask for those capable of writing, directing, acting, singing and dancing in their own movie. Beyond the Sea is an entertaining, semi-biographical, musical fantasy about the intriguing life of Bobby Darin, but it also a showcase for the very talented Mr. Spacey. If you are a fan of either Darin or Spacey (or both, like me), you must see this movie.

I was the tiniest bit disappointed with this movie. Ocean's Eleven was a tough act to follow, though. I don't think the sequel was quite as entertaining as the first. That is not to say that this is a bad movie, but there were not as many times in this one that things were laugh out loud funny. And the cool smugness of the main characters (Clooney and Pitt) was balanced well in the first one by the rest of the crew. In this movie, however, they all seemed to exhibit the same arrogance (presumably because they pulled off the first job) and that was a bit much to take. It's still a good movie and the story is certainly well crafted, if a bit hard to follow in places. I enjoyed it, but I wish I had enjoyed it more.