'Sixty-Six' is yet,another comedy from the United Kingdom that goes down easy without any unpleasant side effects (in short,a slight, albeit winning good time). The plot concerns Bernie Rubens,a young Jewish boy of English background who is about to make his Bar Mitzvah,only to find out that it's concurrent with England competing against Germany for the World Cup of 1966. Set against all of Bernie's teen angst is some nicely told tales of his eccentric father (Eddie Marsden,seen recently as the bitter automobile instructor in Mike Leigh's 'Happy Go Lucky'), who runs a small green grocer with his Uncle,his loving Mother (Helena Bonham Carter,always welcome on screen),his older Brother,Alvy, and a host of others. The film has a snappy,well written screenplay (loosly based on the director's own life & experiences when he had his Bar Mitzvah,and even contains some actual home movie footage of the festivities). Stephen Rea also has some slight,but nice screen time as a doctor. This is a film that has been getting some sketchy distribution in the United States,but is worth seeking out (it was originally released in 2006). Rated PG-13 by the MPAA,this film contains a bit of raunchy language,a flash of nudity & some adult situations. Okay for older teens.
Review of Sixty Six
