Movie, 2006

Story of a young man in 1966, looking forward to and particularly planning his bar mitzvah, against the backdrop of a dysfunctional family, and the unexpected success of England’s football team in the World Cup. While most modern films about the plucky underdog facing an uphill struggle tend to feel cloying and grotesque Sixty-Six  wins through; possibly through looking at a minority community, or maybe just because of the writing, characters and actors, all of which are strong. A rare mix of  the known (England’s World Cup triumph) and the unknown (the bar mitzvah) also propel things along nicely. Far from a ‘must-see’, but nonetheless, very enjoyable, and a strong antidote, with historical echoes, against hatred and alienation in contemporary society.