Bobby Darin’s attentiveness to perfection emerges in the opening scene of the film where he disrupts himself in the middle of the shooting of a song scene.  His desire to perfect things made him somewhat difficult to approach, which often generated frustration among his fellow employees.  Yet, no one dared to address their issues with him in the fear of the consequences.  Thus, Bobby rethinks the opening of the film while some of his closer friends disagree with him when he wants to change the opening.  Out of nowhere, a young kid, who performs the part of Bobby in his youth, expresses discontent with the opening.  Attentively, Bobby listens to the boy who brings him into a dreamy flashback that borderlines between reality and the fictionalized world of stage performance.  This is a remarkably clever introduction that Spacey and his co-writer Lewis Colick created that genuinely captures the audience’s attention.

Through the borderline opening, the audience will dance on the line in between life and the stage while following the flashback.  Bobby provides his own voiceover that described parts of his life, which begins with his youth where he is bedridden by the rheumatic fever.  Despite the doctor’s medical assessment, Bobby continues to grow beyond the age of fifteen while developing a passion for performing and singing through his inspiring mother.  It almost feels as if Bobby’s inspiration for the music keeps him alive way beyond the time prediction.  Well into his twenties, Bobby continues to struggle, but this time to become successful performer.  After years of uphill fighting, Bobby finally faces the success he seeks through the popular song Splish-Splash, which set him off in the direction of his much desired stardom.

The success in the music business urges him to seek further challenges, which he seeks in Hollywood.  His first major role came through Come September (1960) where he plays a part against Rock Hudson and on the rise actor Sandra Dee who turned 19 at the year of the film’s release.  A love struck Bobby begins to pursue Sandra with roses and other admiration for her, but her mother stands between him and her.  Again, he overcomes adversity and marries the woman of his life with whom he stayed until his death in 1973.  Knowing that Bobby Darin will die does not affect the film’s value, as it deals with several interesting issues such as self-discovery, persistence, and many other valuable lessons.

The story of Bobby Darin does not offer an authentic biography of him, but a more conceptual biography that touches on the his ideas and possibly his existential perspective.  This, however, makes the story so much more interesting, as it deals with how he might have experienced his own life.  The success of the story rests with the co-writer, director, producer, and actor Spacey who brings the story to life through a vibrant performance.  Spacey’s performance finds support in a terrific cast including names such as Kate Bosworth, John Goodman, and Bob Hoskins.  Hoskins does a brilliant job, as his brother-in-law.  After the blackened screen, the audience will be remembering Darin, not as the arrogantly demanding boss, but as a person who lived life to the fullest while experiencing the wonder of each breath.

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COUNTRY

USA / Germany / UK

Filmography links and data courtesy of