Crappy film

Charming and brutal

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Blistering performances.

Add this one to your movie collection, it´s well worth watching. Hard to believe that the story is actually "loosely" based on true events. Much of the success of this movie is down to the brilliant acting from the main characters. This one touches all the emotions. Will we be watching it again, absolutely.

If you picture Helena Bonham Carter as a Jewish mother from the 1960's, beehive and all, that should be enough to make run to see Sixty Six.Sixty six is the year. Bernie Reubens is the kid. The 13 year old kid to be exact. Bernie's the awkward, picked-on kid, the one living in the shadow of his popular older brother. The kid whose only luck is bad.Lo and behold in his religious (Hebrew) classes, he learns that his impending Bar Mitzvah is the event that will change all that. For one day Bernie Reubens would be the center of the universe.The quirky boy makes his Bar Mitzvah his obsession. In the backyard garage, he has a table set up, more like a shrine devoted to things Bar Mitzvah. Catering menus, a place setting, pictures, seating charts, everything to make this day his perfect one.There's one glitch.The World Cup falls on the same day. And, England could qualify for the finals. No one would come to Bernie's Bar Mitzvah if this happened.Bernie makes it his singleminded mission to prevent England from competing in the finals. How he tries to do this is plain hysterical. Let's just say that there's some hocus pocus involved and tons of laughs.There's another glitch. Bernie's dad's career takes a bad financial turn. Don't get me started about the father character. Played by actor Eddie Marsan, the odd elder Reubens is a cartoon-like character with amazing comedic timing. In a Mr. Magoo kind of way.If I said what happens to Bernie is comedy of errors, I would be understating it. From bad to worse, and bad again, Bernie's day isn't looking like his dream Bar Mitzvah. But some bittersweet things happen between he and his dad. Enough to tug your heart. And, tug again.Almost never have I been to a movie that made me laugh during the introduction and then tear up at the end. Even the credits are worth watching since the actors' names are superimposed over film footage of an actual '60's Bar Mitzvah, which happens, I'm assuming, to be that of the director's older brother. His was Bernie's dream day.I only collect the odd movie DVD from the movies that I adore. As soon as this becomes available, it's mine. I'll have a Sixty Six party. Prerequisite, you must be born before that year.Supposedly, Sixty Six is based on the director, Paul Weilland's life. I know some Brits who remember the World Cup of 1966 with special affection. And, I personally remember a variety of awkward boys confronting their manhood at many a Bar Mitzvah. (where I smoked my fist cigarette in the synagogue bathroom.) Then there's the dad stuff...more tugs. Go see it!

There's been some good British movies produced of late. A while back I watched "This Is England" which was pretty good, although not one of Shane Meadows' best, in my opinion. But I note that it rates as 8.0 on IMDb, while this beautiful, magnificent, flawless gem of a movie only rates as 6.7.Bernie is an overlooked, slightly neglected little Jewish kid who wants his bar mitzvah to outshine his older brother's. He wants it be in a swankier place, more guests, better presents. Mostly, what he wants is be recognized as someone important. But everything conspires against him - a series of disasters that befall his father, and the fateful scheduling of his bar mitzvah on the same day as the 1966 World Cup final, at which no-one really believes the English team will be present. But you never know. And if they do make it, nobody will want to attend Bernie's transition into a man. Bernie certainly does his best to prevent them from making it, from prayers, and curses and spells, to throwing darts at a picture of the team.I laughed out loud several times during this movie (a rare occurrence these days, particularly when watching comedies). At other times, I was moved to tears. There's a scene towards the end in which Bernie's parents find the video taken of the older brother's bar mitzvah, which Bernie has plainly been watching. They turn it on, and there is the day, a joyful scene, no expense spared, lots of people, lots of gifts. What's also clear from the scenes that unfold is how Bernie is constantly overlooked, pushed aside, ignored. The director, having established the gist of the video, moves in for a long lingering look at Helena Bonham Carter's face (Bernie's mother). She's been the family's rock, the pillar of strength and loyalty. But in a masterpiece of acting (reminiscent of Nicole Kidman in the opera scene of "Birth", or Catalina Sandino Moreno walking through the airport in "Maria, Full Of Grace"), Bonham Carter's eyes reflect the dawning realization of how much she and her husband have neglected this little boy. The emotional forces raging within her are all reflected in minor changes of facial expression. This is a truly great actress.The film itself is full of little profundities. The ending must strike at the heart of every father who's ever reflected on the mistakes he's made with his kids, or the times he's not been there for them.A terrific film, one of the best I've seen in a long time. I can't find any fault with it, so it gets 10/10.

How nice to watch a film suitable for children that is funny, compassionate and resonates with their problems. No animation, no talking animals, but a boy and his family, He gets picked on, ignored, and teach himself to grow up. My ten year old grandson rates this as one of his favourite films ever.It is also very appealing on an adult level. Witty, perceptive and devoid of sentimentality,it is plain good fun.The acting and writing are flawless and the recreation of 1966 is breath-taking. I am in awe of the production designer and the colourisers. It all works smoothly, although it did leave me wondering 'How did they do that?'.