fipoutreach1 The movie is coming out in the US in 2 weeks!!! go to 66thefilm.com for more info!!! It's a must see! There is a release in New York and LA and the movie is appearing in tons of Jewish Film Festivals all around the country. People, we can't let this film fail! Anyone have contact with a large group of people or would like to help get the word out let us at First Independent Pictures. We really believe in this film and know everyone will love it. Independent films need consumers to appreciate and watch them. The film: Sixty Six is the quirky coming of age story of Bernie, a young boy seeking to overcome the awkwardness of pre-adolescence by having the perfect Bar Mitzvah. Bernie's quest for the perfect entry into manhood becomes threatened by his father's economic troubles and the UK World Cup series of 1966 during which underdog Britain beat Germany. With the entire country consumed by the game and the family overwhelmed by a string of bad luck, Bernie's plans for his big day continue to diminish in significance, until Bernie takes matters into his own hands and...with an ending that you'll just have to experience yourself. Help us out guys!

eucalyptus9 There's been some good British movies produced of late. A while back I watched "This Is England" which was pretty good, although not one of Shane Meadows' best, in my opinion. But I note that it rates as 8.0 on IMDb, while this beautiful, magnificent, flawless gem of a movie only rates as 6.7.Bernie is an overlooked, slightly neglected little Jewish kid who wants his bar mitzvah to outshine his older brother's. He wants it be in a swankier place, more guests, better presents. Mostly, what he wants is be recognized as someone important. But everything conspires against him - a series of disasters that befall his father, and the fateful scheduling of his bar mitzvah on the same day as the 1966 World Cup final, at which no-one really believes the English team will be present. But you never know. And if they do make it, nobody will want to attend Bernie's transition into a man. Bernie certainly does his best to prevent them from making it, from prayers, and curses and spells, to throwing darts at a picture of the team.I laughed out loud several times during this movie (a rare occurrence these days, particularly when watching comedies). At other times, I was moved to tears. There's a scene towards the end in which Bernie's parents find the video taken of the older brother's bar mitzvah, which Bernie has plainly been watching. They turn it on, and there is the day, a joyful scene, no expense spared, lots of people, lots of gifts. What's also clear from the scenes that unfold is how Bernie is constantly overlooked, pushed aside, ignored. The director, having established the gist of the video, moves in for a long lingering look at Helena Bonham Carter's face (Bernie's mother). She's been the family's rock, the pillar of strength and loyalty. But in a masterpiece of acting (reminiscent of Nicole Kidman in the opera scene of "Birth", or Catalina Sandino Moreno walking through the airport in "Maria, Full Of Grace"), Bonham Carter's eyes reflect the dawning realization of how much she and her husband have neglected this little boy. The emotional forces raging within her are all reflected in minor changes of facial expression. This is a truly great actress.The film itself is full of little profundities. The ending must strike at the heart of every father who's ever reflected on the mistakes he's made with his kids, or the times he's not been there for them.A terrific film, one of the best I've seen in a long time. I can't find any fault with it, so it gets 10/10.

scruffyharry I was expecting a Jewish humour kind of film (like Jack Rosenthal's Barmitzvah Boy all those years ago). There *is* some humour, and some Jewish in-jokes, but mainly I found the film to be very sad. Like some other recent films about losers (e.g. Brassed Off) the pathos overwhelms the humour; contrast Full Monty, Billy Elliott, where the crapness of the situation is still treated humorously. I thought the film lacked Jewish characters and situations I could identify from my own childhood (where were the British vs Jewish conflicts, and the anti-semitism?) and I didn't like the rabbi (stereotype with that Ron Moody accent).What *was* good, I thought, was the attention to detail by the props department. I was 13 in 1966 (in fact my best friend's barmitzvah WAS on that exact date ... nothing like in the film though: plenty of guests turned up, though quite a few snuck out into the car park during the game) and a few things caught my eye, notably the duffle bag, and the kids playing a horse-racing game whose name I forget which involves stretching a sheet of canvas over the table and turning a handle to make the horses "run" ... Robledo or something. And of course all the old cars.

pmidha I saw this film last night and really enjoyed it but was struck by the mixture of hilarious comedy and deep pathos. Sometimes it is too painfully sad to be funny- maybe that's how comedy works! The last twenty minutes set me thinking how derivative the film is. Has anyone noticed a similarity between Das Mirakel von Bern and this film ? Both are about the troubled relationship between father and son; both centre on a world cup final; both feature a desperate race at the end to get to the final and both sets of parent/child jump over the ticket barrier to get to the game! I enjoyed both films in spite of their similarities; I think the writers could have injected even more humour into 66, even if there are some genuinely side-splitting moments