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.

—Peter L. Stein

Co-sponsored by Fred Levin & Nancy Livingston, The Shenson Foundation.

Marin Opening Night is co-sponsored by the Osher Marin Jewish Community Center

Co-presented by Jewish Milestones and Kung Pao Kosher Comedy