It is the summer of 1966, and Bernie Reuben is looking forward to his Bar Mitzvah. All his life he has been overlooked and forgotten, by his family and by everyone else. This is his chance to shine and to become the centre of attention. But 1966 is also the year of the World Cup, and the date of his Bar Mitzvah is the same as final, and as the day grows closer and closer it appears that the English team will defy all predictions and make the final. This is the last thing Bernie wants, it’ll totally overshadow his big day.
This is a film based on “partially true” events, and it aims to be a comedy, but while there are some humourous moments overall it isn’t funny enough. It is fine, and watchable, and most of the performances are quite good, but it lacks that something that would make it a good film.
It is probably more of an entertaining film if you can appreciate all the footballing nostalgia, because there is some nice inter cutting of the action from the matches, but being from Ireland, watching England lift the world cup isn’t something that makes me shout for joy ;) Although some of the footage is very entertaining, almost worth going to see the film solely to take a look at the football. But there isn’t enough for that justification, because the film does concentrate on Bernie and his trials and tribulations. Some of which will make you shrug in mehness, others are affecting, but in the main it is nothing special. That being said, it does have its charming, touching moments. It just wasn’t very memorable.
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