Sixty-six
By Marshall Fine
Rating:
Who's in it: Helena Bonham Carter, Eddie Marsan
What's it about: Set in 1966, this warm British comedy focuses on an unhappy London kid whose bar mitzvah may be overshadowed by the World Cup soccer final - and his family's failing finances.
Becoming a man: Young Bernie (Gregg Sulkin) feels like the world wants to ignore him - but he desperately believes things will all change on his bar mitzvah when he becomes "a man." But his parents (Marsan, Carter) start to struggle with their business - and then England becomes the Cinderella success story of soccer-mad London. Bernie's lavish bar mitzvah plans must be scaled way back - and no one wants to attend because the Cup Final is the same day. This winning comedy captures the crushing nature of nerdiness, both for young Bernie and for his phobic father (Marsan, one of the villains of "Hancock"). This is the kind of cheeky, heart-filled comedy the British do best - think "The Full Monty" or "Calendar Girls."
Long story short: This surprising little film contains big laughs.
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