SIXTY SIX

SIXTY SIX is a warm, funny story about a boy who wants one day in the spotlight and a father who must learn to truly engage with him. The performances are solid, the wit is enjoyable, and the family relationships give this coming-of-age comedy genuine heart.

The film’s moral center is strong, with a wise rabbi helping Bernie understand that his Bar Mitzvah is not mainly about presents or attention. Still, faith remains more of a backdrop than a living part of the family’s daily life. The mild objectionable elements call for discernment, especially for younger viewers.

If your family includes middle schoolers and older teens, SIXTY SIX is worth watching together with a conversation afterward.

Bernie is looking forward to his Bar Mitzvah as the one occasion when friends and family might finally focus on him. But his unchangeable date collides with England’s World Cup soccer playoff hopes, while his father Manny’s troubled business and personal fears threaten the celebration.

As Bernie tries to plan the perfect event, father and son are forced to confront their shared insecurities and what the day is really meant to signify.

Three stars means SIXTY SIX is an enjoyable, well-acted film with real warmth, though it falls short of greatness. The performances are very solid, and the story’s wit gives the comedy an appealing charm.

The father-and-son relationship provides the strongest material. Bernie and Manny are both coming of age in different ways, and the film finds humor and feeling in their fears, obsessions, and need for attention. The movie’s main limitation is that faith could have played a larger role in the characters’ lives instead of serving mainly as the backdrop for a rite of passage.

SIXTY SIX presents a strong moral worldview with substantial reference to Jewish faith. Its best insight is that growing up means accepting responsibility rather than blaming a parent for every failure. The film also values love within a difficult family relationship, especially as Bernie learns to accept his father as he is.

The Bar Mitzvah is ultimately presented as more than a party or an opportunity to receive presents. Through the rabbi’s guidance, Bernie begins to understand it as a time to “become a man,” with responsibility at the center. That moral direction gives the story much of its heart.

The film’s treatment of faith is limited, however. Religious belief mostly provides the setting for a rite of passage rather than shaping the family’s entire life. Light occult attempts to influence the soccer outcome also mar an otherwise constructive moral framework.

The film’s longing for a father’s attention and a child’s movement toward responsibility connect with Scripture’s call to honor parents: “Honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12).

SIXTY SIX is a charming, funny coming-of-age story with solid performances and a strong moral center. Its mild objectionable elements and limited treatment of faith call for discernment, but families with middle schoolers and up can find worthwhile conversation here. WORTH THE TRIP — AGES 13 AND UP.