Sixty Six (2006)

A boy's barmitzvah looks set to be a disaster when it coincides with the 1966 World Cup Final.

Director:

Paul Weiland

Writers:

Peter Straughan (screenplay), Bridget O'Connor (screenplay),

Stars:

Charlie Clark, Nick Shirm, Thomas Drewson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charlie Clark	...	Boy with Caliper
Nick Shirm	...	Michael Hempel
Thomas Drewson	...	Terry Shivers
Gregg Sulkin	...	Bernie Reubens
Matt Bardock	...	Mr. Grieg
Alex Black	...	Linton
Cameron Crighton	...	Captain
Catherine Tate	...	Aunt Lila
Peter Serafinowicz	...	Uncle Jimmy / Mr Rubens Snr / Football Commentary
Helena Bonham Carter	...	Esther Rubens
Eddie Marsan	...	Manny Rubens
Nick Shrim	...	Michael Hempel
Francine Simmons	...	Lady at Door
Martin Savage	...	Senior Doctor
Ony Uhiara	...	Nurse

Storyline

A boy's barmitzvah looks set to be a disaster when it coincides with the 1966 World Cup Final.

---

Plot Keywords:

world cup | 1960s | doctor | bar mitzvah | year in title | 

---

Taglines:

the makers of FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL would like to invite you to a bar mitzvah.

---

Genres:

Biography | Comedy | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language, some sexual content and brief nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [us] Working Title Films

Country:

France UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 November 2006 (UK)

Also Known As:

66

Filming Locations:

Brighton & Hove, East Sussex, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$9,359 (USA) (1 August 2008)

Gross:

$224,513 (USA) (6 March 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Working Title Films, StudioCanal

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

To demonstrate his hatred of the England football team, Bernie throws darts at a photograph of the players in their red shirts midway through the competition. However, the photo in question was taken after the final was played. Furthermore, in relation to the film's timescale, when the scene takes place neither the team or the choice of kit had been decided upon.

---

Connections

References Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 hours 11 minutes (1965)

User Reviews

An enjoyable coming of age tale backed by a trifecta of great acting

The coming of age tale is always one of the most enjoyable and heartfelt types of film, with Sixty Six proving that it is worth the viewer's time because of the wonderful character driven film that it is. It should be noted that because of the film's plot, you should immediately know that it won't be story driven outside of the characters' individual stories. To make it simple, if you know how the 1966 World Cup turned out, you know how this film is going to end. So, it is for that reason that I say, if you don't know how that World Cup ended, don't look it up. The film will tell you, and to be honest, it was one of the things that made it such a great movie for me. Knowing the outcome of the matches, however, doesn't take away from the experience.

In a character driven film, the performances are obviously the most important, and here we have a trifecta of awesomeness. First and foremost, in one of my favorite performances of the decade, Eddie Marsan really shows some muscle and range as Bernie's father, in one of the most silently moving performances of recent memory. The character by himself is a hell of a subject to study, a neurotic and paranoid man who has lost faith in his own life because of the lack of success in his family business, and feeling distant from his wife. Marsan pulls this off wonderfully. You can't help but feel bad for him, despite numerous bad choices in the film.

Helena Bonham Carter is, as usual, excellent as Bernie's mother. I really appreciated her towards the end of the film, when all of our characters have an epiphany. Youngster Gregg Sulkin is wonderful in his first role, and he should have plenty of work in the future. What you get from this film is a tad bit of predictability, yet where that hurts the film, the characters make up for it. Even supporting characters, such as one played by Stephen Rea, are as intriguing as the big three.

If you enjoy teary moments, boys becoming men in their life, and a bit of British humor, Sixty Six is bound to be enjoyable for you. I was very glad I caught it in the brief run it had in my theater, because it's definitely one of the better movies that has come out recently, in addition to providing a nice break from all the summer explosions. As for Brits looking for this film to see, odds are that it's already on DVD in your neck of the woods, as it was released in the UK about two years ago.