Sixty Six

Bernie Reuben has big plans for his bar mitzvah. Though a bit nerdy by nature and mildly asthmatic, he is a whiz when it comes to menu planning, table decorations, even cocktail service. To shore up his popularity, Bernie’s going to throw a party to remember for all his North London family and school chums. Unfortunately, Bernie may have a little competition. For it is July 1966, and Bernie’s bar mitzvah is scheduled to fall precisely on the day of the final soccer match of the World Cup, which England is hosting. If England’s admittedly shaky team were to end up in the finals, it would spell disaster for his party plans. Encouraged by his doctor (Stephen Rea), Bernie takes a sudden and nearly obsessive interest in England’s preliminary matches, rooting (nearly alone in the nation) for defeat. But there are also obstacles Bernie doesn’t know about: his hapless dad’s grocery business is being hurt by a newly opened supermarket, and his mother (the delightful and unexpectedly cast Helena Bonham Carter) wonders if they are going to have to cancel the party for lack of funds. Paul Weiland’s autobiographical and sweetly nostalgic comedy depicts a gently assimilating Jewish family whose desire to fit in sometimes runs counter to their observance of traditions. It’s a theme often expressed in American Jewish stories (from Chaim Potok to Brooklyn Bridge) so there is a fun frisson of recognition in seeing this accomplished transatlantic version play out in such distinctive, charming ways. No knowledge of sports history or soccer required.

From 2008 Festival: Director, United Kingdom Paul Weiland (Director) just directed the romantic comedy Made of Honor, starring Patrick Dempsey and Michelle Monaghan. He began his career in 1973 as a copywriter at London advertising agents Collett Dickenson Pearce & Partners. He worked briefly for the Alan Parker Film Company before setting up the Paul Weiland Film Company in 1980. The company now represents eleven directors both in the UK and America, and is responsible for award winning commercials for clients including Hamlet Cigars, Heineken, British Telecom, Levis 501, Carlsberg, Walkers, and Coca Cola. In 1988, he was voted top commercials director in Campaign’s Top 100 League Table. In 1987, Weiland turned his attention to drama, and directed Anthony Minghella’s The Storyteller: The Three Ravens, for Jim Henson Productions, starring Miranda Richardson, Jonathon Pryce, Joely Richardson and John Hurt. He went on to direct Living With Dinosaurs in 1989, also for Jim Henson Productions with Michael Maloney and Juliet Stevenson, which won an Emmy Award for Best International Children’s Programme. In 1990 he directed The Storyteller: Daedalus & Icarus, again for Jim Henson Productions, starring Michael Gambon and Derek Jacobi. In 1991, Weiland directed episodes of the Rowan Atkinson hit television series Mr Bean, and the charming Bernard and the Genie, a BBC Christmas special, starring Lenny Henry and Rowan Atkinson, which was nominated for a Royal Television Society Award. He followed this by taking the helm of City Slickers II - The Legend of Curly’s Gold, starring Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern, Jon Lovitz, and Jack Palance. In 1997, he directed the romantic comedy Roseanna’s Grave, starring Jean Reno and Mercedes Reuhl. The film won the Houston Film Festival Grand Award for Best Feature Film. In 1999 he directed Rowan Atkinson, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Colin Firth and Kate Moss in Blackadder Back & Forth. Weiland has continued to direct commercials whilst developing and directing feature films and, during his career, both as a copywriter and director, he has been recognised many times by the Design and Art Direction Awards, the British Television Advertising Awards, Clio, 20 and Cannes. In 1992 he was awarded the British Television Advertising Award (BTA) for Best TV Commercial of the Year (Schweppes), the Grand Prix de Press at Cannes (Heineken), and a BAFTA and BTA Award for Best Cinema Commercial (Fosters). In 1993 he won the BTA Chairman’s Award for his outstanding contribution to the industry. From 1994 to 1997 The Paul Weiland Film Company took the BTA Award for the Most Successful Production Company, and in 1997 the company was voted Campaign’s top production company of the year, and ranked second top production company in the world. In 2002, the company was awarded the D & AD’s President’s Award at D & AD’s fortieth anniversary ceremony. In 2003, Paul Weiland set up Contagious, a company to develop and produce film projects in partnership with David Barron.