Sixty Six: A British ‘extravajewza’

Cute Little British People
By Mike Johnson

Sixty Six is one of those cute little British films in the mold of a Love Actually and About a Boy that blends quirky humor with a heartwarming story, and ultimately has you leaving the theater feeling pretty good about life and family. The story centers around Bernie Reubens, a soon to be 13-year-old boy who is the last pick in gym class (behind a handicapped kid), has a wise ass bully brother, and has acquired more of his father’s socially awkward traits than he would have liked. Overlooked and in the shadows for much of his first 13 years, Bernie plans on using his Bar Mitzvah party as a launch pad to respect and popularity. It’s going to be the biggest and baddest Bar Mitzvah that Britain’s ever seen. Allow me to reintroduce myself, my name is Bernie.

Wouldn’t be much of a movie, however, without some conflict. As Bernie meticulously plans every detail of his 1966 extravajewza, it seems as though the world conspires to ruin his big day. Budget constraints arise when Dad loses his humble but steady grocery business to the brand new supermarket next door, and even worse than that, Mom schedules the party on the same day of the 1966 World Cup Final. The rest of the movie coincides with the British team’s unlikely run through the 66’ world cup with real game footage, as each win increases the possibility that nobody’s going to show up for Bernie’s party.

I always see pictures in magazines of Helena Bonham Carter that show her dressed like a drunk vampire hobo, but she can act, and did a more than respectable job as Bernie’s mother. Gregg Sulkin, who plays Bernie, brought a charm and innocence to the role and had no problems carrying the film as the main character and narrator. You never stop rooting for him for a minute. Overly sappy at times, I still recommend Sixty Six as a funny and unique story about a boy learning to act like a man and taking his lumps along the way.