He thinks it's all over - and it probably is! (Sixty Six (DVD))

Member Name: kingfisher111

Product:	Sixty Six (DVD)
Date:	11/10/09 (133 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun and thoughtful British film

Disadvantages: none

The film Sixty Six was actually made in 2006 and the title refers to a couple of momentous events forty years previously. The two events are firstly, unsurprisingly, England winning the football World Cup and secondly, a young Jewish boy's Bar Mitzvah which unfortunately is due to take place on the same day as the final.

The boy in question is Bernie Rubens (Greg Sulkin) and many months before his big day he starts planning the event. In his eyes, it has to be a lavish spectacular affair to at least match his older brother Alvie's, but preferably to completely outdo it! Unfortunately, he is unaware that his father's small shop is struggling against the competition of the advent of larger supermarkets, and that his parents' plans are on a much lesser scale! It is bound to head for disappointment.

At the same time the World Cup finals are gaining momentum although at first no one expects England to do very well. However, Bernie is aware that if they do start to do well, no one is going to want to come to his Bar Mitzvah so he alone, starts willing the national side to do badly. As you will know though, England did make it to the final and as they do so, excuses start pouring in as to why so many people can't make Bernie's big day. Poor Bernie has to accept that not only is his big event an extremely scaled down affair but that hardly anyone is going to bother being there anyway. It's not a great transition from boyhood to manhood but every cloud has a silver lining which you will discover if you watch the film!

I really enjoyed this film and found it both incredibly funny and incredibly moving equally. The film is actually narrated by Bernie which is brilliant as it really gives his take on everything. He sort of despairs of his socially inept father Manny (Eddie Marsan) who has a habit of depressing everyone the moment he opens his mouth. His mum, Esther (Helena Bonham Carter) tries to do her best but does not really treat her two sons equally and his older brother Alvie (Ben Newton) is a bit of a smug bully. He is also quite bemused by his Aunt Lilia and Uncle Jimmy (played brilliantly by Catherine Tate and Peter Serafinowicz). There are lots of very funny characters including a blind rabbi and lots of dotty aunts and uncles. All the characters are really great and quite often funny, although you would have to say that due to the nature of the film, tend to be caricatures more than fully rounded characters.
This is an excellent film to watch with a good storyline. Lots of things go wrong for Bernie and his family, not least of all for Bernie, England's successful march forward towards the final! You can feel yourself inwardly groaning at everything that happens but also feeling most sympathetic towards poor young Bernie, especially as his parents completely dismiss all his concerns. He does present as a gawky lonely character but that makes him all the more endearing to the viewer. The film is very good at conveying poignancy through humour which can sometimes cause a quite unexpected reaction - wanting to laugh and cry at the same time!

What really made this film so enjoyable was the way that Bernie's story was interspersed with England's journey through the World Cup rounds, making use of the actual footage from the time. This provided a lot of excitement and tension, but would also be quite nostalgic for those old enough to remember the excitement at the time. There was also great sixties music used as the soundtrack which was all most enjoyable as well as seeing all the old cars, televisions and radios that were shown. It really does demonstrate how far technology has moved on over the last forty years!

When I picked up the DVD it stated at the top of the cover that it came from the makers of Bridget Jones and About a Boy so I had a strong hunch that I was going to enjoy it and I really did. From the very first to the very last minute I loved it and it is definitely a film that I would watch again.

There are no DVD extras to speak of but this doesn't really worry me as I rarely bother with them anyway, The film is rated 12 and has a running time ninety three minutes although I could have happily have watched it for longer. It is currently available from Amazon for only £3.98! That's money well spent!

Summary: A very enjoyable film