SIXTY SIX
You might think I'm going to write about age, but no, it's about a movie titled "Sixty Six."

It takes place in London, the year is 1966, that's the year England is scheduled to compete for the world cup soccer championship. It's also the year that 12 year old "Bernie" is going to celebrate his Bar Mitzvah.

He's the kind of a kid that is the last one chosen to be on any athletic team. He wears goggles and gets lost in a crowd.



His brother had an elaborate Bar Mitzvah a few years ago and Bernie keeps thinking about how he's finally going to have the opportunity to shine, get lots of presents and be the man of the hour.

Bernie has high hopes, starts making a large guest list, thinks about the lavish hotel the guest will be invited to, the big band, the fuss family and friends will make about him and THE PRESENTS he will receive



Even though he has all those grand ideas about his Bar Mitzvah he has his doubts about how he will perform on the most important day of his life. That's where the kindly rabbi comes in. He works with Bernie and eventually he feels confident.

All does not go well - the year is 1966 and times are bad. The family loses their business and they are not in a position to have a costly affair like they did for Bernie's older brother.

Bernie is still thinking big and the father and mother have to gently break the news to their son that the affair will have to be a lot smaller. Oh my!! Oh my!!

To make matters worse the finals for the soccer cup is going to be held on the same day as Bernie's Bar Mitzvah. All of London is in a frenzy - hoping that England will win - not Bernie, he even has a dart board in his room hoping that England will lose. England keeps winning and will participate in the finals!

The day of the finals (and the day of the Bar Mitzvah) comes and the phone starts ringing - guests call and make all kinds of excuses - they can not attend. Bernie is crushed.

If you want to know how all this ends, go see the movie. What I will tell you is when the movie ended, the audience applauded!

I was not familiar with any of the cast members but they all did a great job.



The movie had me laughing, at times I had tears in my eyes and at other times I was remembering when my husband and I were planning Steve's Bar Mitzvah.

Other sites:
Kicking it Kosher
Bernie's Soccer Blog

posted by millie garfield @ 3:31 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >>