Vip, mio fratello superuomo

A rip-roaring parody of superhero films. The young ones will enjoy the cute characters and derring-do. Older viewers will discover a story full of surprises and a strong message about our consumer-oriented world. The characters are quite funny and well developed. The best is MiniVip who is trying so hard to be a great superhero like his brother SuperVip that he doesn't realize just how thick and vain his brother really is. A refreshing change from American mass-produced animation films. I give it 8 superheroes out of 10.

I picked his up at a Wal-mart for a buck because I knew of the 1977 release, _Allegro Non Troppo_, from Bruno Bozetto. But there are about ten years between these films, and the growth between them shows.

There's a certain crudeness to the animation, the humor and the presentation. The art of most of Bozetto's stuff seems a mix of 1960s underground comics and the overground psychedelia of Peter Max and 1960s-70s blacklight posters.

The pacing is bad, some jokes labored, telegraphed, obvious or drawn out. However, there's a lot of good parody and interesting concepts in this. It's worth the dollar I paid for it, and if you can pick it up for that amount, do so. It's a good rainy day watch.

The unprecedented success of Bozzetto's WEST AND SODA ensured a more ambitious follow-up with the aid of American financiers. Biting the hand that fed him (Bozzetto had primarily been involved in making animated commercials), he came up with a sharply satirical narrative about the perils inherent in incessant commercial spoon-feeding to Italian TV audiences. Supervip is the latest in a long line of strapping superheroes while Minivip is his inept 'accidental' twin brother; the latter – short, bespectacled and saddled with an inferiority complex – is a splendid caricature of Woody Allen. During a psychiatrist-imposed vacation, the latter stumbles onto a massive brainwashing conspiracy instigated by Happy Betty, the head of a chain of supermarkets, intent on controlling the worldwide market through missiles lodged into her customers' brain that turn them into compulsive buyers! Every superhero has to have a sweetheart: the intrepid red-headed Lisa is Supervip's girl while the diminutive Nervustrella is the one that loves Minivip in spite of himself; conversely, Happy Betty's minions include a strongman dubbed "The Colonel" and the pint-sized, monocle-sporting Schultz. The film is driven by a superb song score courtesy of Franco Godi that includes a mournful lament by Happy Betty's imprisoned, unsuccessful experiment subjects and a climactic production number performed by the villains themselves when hoist in their own petards. Comic highlight: the "day in the life" demonstration of Happy Betty's assembly-line workers.

If you can ever get it, DO IT!. I recorded it when I was 10. Now, I have taken a look at my old own movie database ;) and have laughed a lot. I haven't seen anything else from this Bruno Bozzetto, but I would like to. Movie is great. It has some incredible sketches and an interesting plot, NOT ONLY FOR KIDS.

As I recall, this movie was broadcast in TV twice when I was a kid. It was fun, although a bit too violent. It was also rated as PG (or similar), not suitable for small children.

The Vip and Minivip characters were unforgettable, and Happy Betty's factory and evil plans too. Actually, Happy Betty's treatment of Chinese workers is at least as valid today as it was back then. The worker's toilet system is fantastic morbid humor. The drawings were on the cheap side, but the story made up for it.

I haven't seen the movie in many years, which is sad. If it is half as good as I remember it, it is well worth seeing. But where can I find it?