Sixty Six is director Paul Weiland’s autobiographical tale of woe about how his Bar Mitzvah was ruined by the nearby England vs Germany WC 1966 Final. In his own words, “It is a very cruel movie”, and he believes it is humorous. But after the boy pins all his self-worth on having a party to remember, watching him suffer one humiliation after another is nothing but painful.
Only at the end did I find some relief, where footage from the game is incorporated in such a way that the actors look like they are at the stadium. And it is cute to see what England fans wore in support of their team.
The movie also ends with a nice homily:
“What happens when you become a man is, you stop blaming your dad for not being perfect. You realize he’s just a man and you love the man he is.”
But in interviews, the director admitted the semi-happy ending in the film was the one he wished had really happened, and he blamed his mom for screwing up his Bar Mitzvah.
It may still be streamable on Netflix, but why bother? Sixty Six is a miserable movie.
2 Soccer Movie Mom Rating = 2
Resources:
- Release Date: 2006-11-01 (UK)
- IMDB
- WIKI
- Director: Paul Weiland
- Watch the Trailer
