Sixty Six (2006) Movie Information:

Sixty Six (2006) Directed by: Paul Weiland Sixty Six (2006) Written by: Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan Sixty Six (2006) Cast: David Bark-Jones, Helena Bonham Carter, Daniel Dresner, Stephen Greif, Daniel Marks, Eddie Marsan, Frankey Martyn, Ben Newton, Stephen Rea, Catherine Tate

Sixty Six (2006) U.S. Distributor: Not available at this time Sixty Six (2006) U.K. Distributor: UIP

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Sixty Six (2006) Synopsis:

It is the summer of '66, and England is about to be consumed by World Cup Fever. For 12 year-old Bernie though, the biggest day of his life is looming: his Bar Mitzvah, and the day he becomes a man. However, Bernie's family are increasingly distracted by the threat of losing their business and their wayward older son, and the scale of Bernie's Bar Mitzvah diminishes daily. Worst of all the Cup Final is scheduled to take place on the same day and when England makes it through the qualifying rounds, Bernie's longed-for Bar Mitzvah looks set to be a complete disaster...

Sixty Six (2006) Movie Review:

The summer of 2008 is looking like it may forever be remembered as one of the greatest blockbuster summers of all time. “Iron Man” got filmgoers pumped for summer, “Sex and the City” made for an excellent date movie, the “Narina” and “Hellboy” franchises produced films better than their predecessors, ““Wall-E” pleased lovers, dreamers and filmgoers of all ages, and “The Dark Knight” is looking like it may turn out to be the highest-grossing film of all time. All that and “Tropic Thunder” still hasn’t come out yet. And beneath all the noisy films good and bad (“Speed Racer” anyone? “The Incredible Hulk”? I didn’t think so…) there has been a steady undercurrent of modestly made and emotionally honest films without multi-million dollar marketing budgets. These films include “Baghead”, “The Visitor”, and “Young@Heart” and they are all worthy of your attention.
If you love emotionally engaging and unique cinema than “Sixty Six” (opening in New York this weekend and expanding throughout the country through August) is a film well worth the drive to the art-house, be it in West LA or the Hollywood district in Portland, Oregon.

“Sixty Six” is based on the true story of a young man in England in 1966, who is preparing for his Bar Mitzvah, which is supposed to be the greatest day of his life. The young-man (twelve-year-old Bernie played by Gregg Sulkin) dreams of recreating the Bar Mitzvah he watched his brother (Ben Newton) experience, a day filled with two-hundred-and-fifty guest, presents and far as the eye can see, beaming parents, and himself in the middle of an unprecedented amount of adoration and attention.

But as Bernie realizes his Bar Mitzvah date is the same day as the World Cup Final, he begins to watch his vision of a perfect day slowly sink over the horizon. More unpredictable and hilarious incidents ensue, including a diverse an impressive supportive cast which includes the Oscar-nominated Helena Bonham Carter (“The Wings of the Dove”, several Shakespeare adaptations, and several Tim Burton films) as Bernie’s mother, and the Oscar-nominated Stephen Rea (“The Crying Game”, “V for Vendetta”) as Berine’s asthma specialist.

A major driving force in the movie is Bernie’s father and their relationship. His father Manny is played with the perfect blend of humor and tension by Eddie Marsan, who will hopefully be familiar to audiences from character roles in films such as “Vera Drake”, “Hancock”, and countless other Oscar-nominated and/or blockbuster films.

Rounding out the ensemble in Bernie’s uncle Jimmy (Peter Serafinowicz) and his blind rabbi (Richard Katz).

The screenplay (based on the real life events of director Paul Weiland) takes on the
structure of the finest Charles Dickens’ novels, where the story is focused on a small group of characters who are constantly affected by social, political, and national events surrounding them.

The movie also has a “Frank Capra-esque” feel to it. While it is far from being as technically impressive as many of the aforementioned summer-blockbuster, and has few performances if any that scream Oscar-nomination, the movie provides a heart-warming experience similar to what one might feel from watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” or “Stand By Me”.

Having said that, the performances are a joy to watch, as Bonham Carter performs her least fantastical role in a decade, and maybe one of her best, Rea gets some truth-filled yet still very funny scenes, and Marsan gets more screen time than he’s been given in many of his character roles.

Although “Sixty Six” is far from the best film I’ve seen this summer, and certainly not the most unforgettable, it is easily the most fun, and as a result is a film I would recommend to almost anybody.

While “Sixty Six” takes on a number of universal themes, in the end the film proves to be the story of a boy becoming a man, and his Dad finally becoming a boy.

Although “Sixty Six” is the perfect film for large groups of families of any religious persuasion to see together, as it expands throughout August, it promises to be the perfect film for any young man to see with his Dad before he leaves for college. And it may also be the perfect film for any man of any age to see with his Dad.

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Sixty Six (2006) review written by: Jackson Truax