Review of “Sixty-Six”
This is a warm and nostalgic coming of age story set in 1966, the year – as any English person will tell you – that the soccer World Cup finals were staged in England. Bernie Reubens (Gregg Sulkin) is twelve and the younger son of a working class Jewish family in London. Bernie is one of those geeky loser heroes and he pins his entire identity on having the most perfect and extravagant bar mitzvah. He believes it will be the one moment when everyone, including God, will focus on him, and the moment he can finally be at the centre of attention rather than an embarrassing non-entity. But when Bernie realises that his special event is scheduled for the same day as the World Cup final and that a struggling England side is doing surprisingly well, Bernie has to try and stop the home side from going all the way.
At the heart of the story is the relationship between Bernie and his father Manny (Eddie Marsan – recently seen in The Illusionist), a nervous under-confidant man whose life is also unraveling, and the dark humour of the film revolves mostly around these two. Sulkin and Marsden are superb and manage to make these often-pitiful characters warm and endearing. They are supported strongly by Helena Bonham-Carter who plays Bernie’s mother Esther, and Ben Newton, as Bernie’s older brother Alvi.
Production designer Michael Howell (who also designed the wonderfully over-the-top Nanny McPhee) beautifully exaggerates the horribly kitsch fashion and interior design of the period, and director Paul Weiland (who directed some of the Mr. Bean episodes) nicely integrates original footage from the World Cup into the film. The script is an emotional ride, stretching from very funny to deeply poignant, and never lacking in interest. The film is billed as a comedy and is funny while the story is set up, but once we get to know the characters and their plight, it plays as a sentimental drama with dark humour. You may find the ending a little mushy and nostalgic, but it’s the one we all want and (if you know anything about soccer in 1966) expect.
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