Sixty Six (film)

Last updated

Sixty Six
Sixty six UK poster.jpg
UK Theatrical release poster
Directed by Paul Weiland
Screenplay by
Story by
  • Paul Weiland
  • Taylor Gathercole
Produced by
Starring
Narrated byMaximilian Law
Cinematography Daniel Landin
Edited byPaul Tothill
Music by Joby Talbot
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 3 November 2006 (2006-11-03)(United Kingdom)
  • 1 August 2008 (2008-08-01)(United States)
Running time
93 minutes
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • France
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1,873,144

Sixty Six is a 2006 British biographical comedy-drama film about a bar mitzvah which takes place in London on the day of the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final, based on the true life bar mitzvah of director Paul Weiland.

Contents

Plot

Bernie Reubens, a young Jewish boy, is about to have his bar mitzvah. Initially, he meticulously plans a lavish reception to upstage that of his older brother Alvie, but as the family's finances lurch from one disaster to another, the family is forced to lower Bernie's expectations and stage the bar mitzvah reception at home in North London. When England reaches the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final, held on the same day, most of the guests make excuses not to come to the reception so that they can watch the game. In the end, Bernie's father saves the day by driving Bernie to Wembley Stadium to witness the end of the match.

Cast

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 65%, based on 52 reviews, with an average rating of 6.00/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Likable but overly sentimental, Sixty Six has snatches of sharp dialogue but is ultimately too predicable." [3] On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 57 out of 100, based on reviews from 11 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [4]

The Hollywood Reporter praised the film, saying "Although the subject might sound specialized, the picture is engineered with such skill that it transcends the ethnic details to become a universal story of a boy trying to find his place in an inhospitable world." [5] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times reviewed the film as being "enlightened by Bernie's impassioned narration and by a gallery of small comic details." [6] The New York Times described the film as "A dolorous comedy that leans heavily, if inoffensively, on ethnic stereotypes." [7]

See also

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References

  1. "Sixty Six "A True...ish Story" (2006)". British Film Institute . Archived from the original on 29 October 2017.
  2. "Sixty Six (2006)". BBFC . Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  3. "Sixty Six (2006)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  4. "Sixty Six". Metacritic . Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  5. "Film Review: Sixty Six". The Hollywood Reporter . 2 July 2008. Archived from the original on 15 July 2009. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
  6. Ebert, Roger (27 August 2008). "Sixty Six (review)". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on 29 September 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  7. "Movie Review: Sixty Six (2006)-A Struggle Toward Manhood". The New York Times . 1 August 2021.