Goofs for
Beyond the Sea (2004) More at IMDbPro »

• Revealing mistakes: When Bobby chases his son out of his bathroom the wall wobbles when Darrin bangs it.
  
  
• Anachronisms: When Bobby is campaigning with Robert Kennedy, Kennedy has a Secret Service detail. RFK did not have and was not entitled to a Secret Service detail. That was changed after his murder.
  
  
• Anachronisms: When Bobby Darin is in the hospital the first time, the heart monitor is a modern type with a flat panel addressable display. Monitors of this era used monochrome oscilloscope type CRT displays.
  
  

• Continuity: When Bobby Darin can't start his car after the fight with his wife the car has only one headlight on. When he takes a golf club right after that and starts smashing the car, both sets of headlights are on, including the brights.
  
  
• Continuity: When Bobby Darin picks up a twelve-stringed guitar and begins to play, the sound is that of a six-string guitar.
  
  
• Continuity: When Darin becomes frustrated that his car won't start, he turns it off, leaves the keys in the ignition, and the two front left lights go out. When he comes back with a golf club to bash those lights in, they have turned themselves back on.
  
  
• Factual errors: The stereo equipment (Pioneer Receiver) shown in Darins house was not available until 1977.
  
  
• Anachronisms: During the touring montage, leading up to his Oscar nomination, Bobby Darin sings the song "Fabulous Places." However, this song is too late for the period of time: Darin was nominated for his Oscar in 1963, while "Fabulous Places" was written for the film musical Doctor Dolittle (1967) four years later.
  
  
• Anachronisms: The Revox B77 reel to reel recorder wasn't available until 1978.
  
  
• Crew or equipment visible: Camera shadow appears briefly twice during "Beyond The Sea" song and dance; on the back of a waiter as Bobby approaches Sandra at a table, and later on Sandra herself.
  
  
• Continuity: When Bobby starts singing "Beyond the Sea" to Sandra the ground is wet. In the next shot it's dry again.
  
  
• Continuity: When Bobby is singing his first song at the Copa, his hair changes throughout the song. First it's all combed back then there is a strand that is on his forehead, then it keeps flipping back and forth.
  
  
• Factual errors: Ahmet Ertegun's Turkish accent is much too thick. If you've ever heard the real Ertegun speak, you'd know that his accent is barely if at all noticeable.
  
  
• Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): At the beginning, a reporter wanted to ask Bobby a few questions for portraying himself in a biography film, by saying "No one hasn't done anything like this before.", yet celebrities like Jackie Robinson (The Jackie Robinson Story (1950)), 'Audie Murphy' (To Hell and Back (1955)) have done it before.
  
  
• Factual errors: In the opening scene of the movie in which Bobby Darin sings 'Mack the Knife' he tosses in an ad-lib by throwing a karate kick and shouting 'ah-so, Madame Myook.' This is based on an actual ad-lib which can be heard on a Nov. 10 1963 recording of 'Mack the Knife' at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas. However, the real Bobby Darin says 'Madame NHU' and not 'Madame Myook.' Madame Nhu was considered the first lady of South Vietnam from 1955-1963. And, she was well known to the American public in the early 1960s because of her notorious political comments, staunch conservatism, and high sense of fashion.
  
  
• Anachronisms: Sandra tries to console Bobby after losing the Oscar by telling him that Melvyn Douglas's win was "a sympathy vote" as he is dying, and his wife is a Congresswoman. Douglas died in 1981, and his wife Helen Gahagan served in Congress from 1945-1951.
  
  
• Factual errors: The film omits several key people (including Darin's second wife), and some key events (including how he learned the truth about his background) did not take place as shown.
  
  
• Factual errors: In reality Bobby Darin was with Bobby Kennedy during the campaign when Kennedy was shot, and in fact in the same hotel where/when it happened. "Beyond the Sea" had him in his trailer at Big Sur when he gets the news on the radio.
  
  
• Factual errors: Bobby never, ever acknowledged Nina as his mother in public, nor did he barely tolerate that knowledge in private. He also never believed Charlie was his father, nor did he appreciate anything Charlie did for him. This was a total fantasy "make-up" Spacey did because he felt Bobby would have "done it eventually".
  
  
• Factual errors: Sandra Dee did not stay with Bobby in the hospital as he was dying. She was in an alcohol induced denial at home. She was passed out on the floor from drinking and the family had to break into the house to find her and notify her. In fact, Bobby's second wife was banished from his room because she could not hold her tears.
  
  

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