Sixty Six was released in the UK in 2006 and it finally arrives in the US two years later! I saw this as part of the Fall 2008 schedule of One Night Cinema and what a 93 minute treat it was. It's rare for me that I walk up to see a movie without any prior knowledge and while I had heard that the plots centered around a London boys Bar Mitzvah getting interrupted by England's successful 1966 World Cup run, it was largely an unknown entity.Director, Paul Weiland (essentially directing scenes based on 'tru-ish' accounts of his own Bar Mitzvah!) did an amazing job in recreating the look and feel of 1960s London. How he managed to recreate the scenes around Wembley Stadium I have no idea and will have to rent the DVD to watch the extra features! The cast was top notch with Eddie Marsan (soon to be seen in Mike Leigh's Happy Go Lucky) shining as the father and newcomer Greg Sulkin turning in a performance beyond his years as the put-upon 12 year old Bernie.
To use a cliche, this was the little film that could. It was a pleasure to watch from minute 1 to minute 93 with some good belly laughs and a sprinkling of touching moments too.
Highly recommended viewing.
Rating: ****
Bravo on the review. I saw this film too and what a little gem it was.
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Thanks, it's always a pleasure to come across such a unique film.
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