Atlanta Jewish Film Festival – Spotlight: Sixty Six

A big-hearted coming-of-age family comedy sends bar mitzvah dreams into sudden extra time as one North London boy learns that becoming a man rarely follows a game plan. Painfully shy 12-year-old Bernie Reubens (Gregg Sulkin) is bullied at school, overshadowed by his cooler older brother Alvie (Ben Newton), and desperate for his day in the spotlight. When his bar mitzvah is announced, Bernie plots a legendary celebration, convinced his day at the Torah will finally put him on the scoreboard. His tightly wound greengrocer father Manny (Eddie Marsan) and long-suffering mum Esther (Helena Bonham Carter) promise something grand, even as their debts mount and a spiffy new supermarket threatens the family business.

Then comes the unthinkable: England charges toward the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final—scheduled on the exact same date as Bernie’s big moment. As the nation careens into football madness, the party shrinks, the guest list wobbles, and attention is hijacked by the telly. With help from his weary asthma doctor (Stephen Rea), a blind rabbi (Richard Katz), and the culinary mishaps of his boisterous auntie (Catherine Tate), Bernie pinballs between comic schemes, boyhood anguish, and small acts of courage, while his father wrestles with wounded pride.

Inspired by writer-director Paul Weiland’s childhood memories brought to life with vivid ‘60s production design, this nostalgic British crowd-pleaser blends gentle slapstick with genuine longing and warmth. As Atlanta gears up for its own World Cup spotlight, this joyful jewel becomes the ultimate community kickoff.