Vovochka was produced in 2002 and directed by Igor Mozzhukhin. A comedy, it takes place in a Moscow suburban country house and deals with the exploits of a young boy during the New Year holiday season. The boy, our protagonist, spends most of his time unintentionally terrorizing the other main characters, chiefly his parents and the town authorities, through a series of games and pranks gone wrong. He also becomes entangled in a pseudo-dramatic romantic subplot with a young girl in his neighborhood.
I really liked this film. Having seen it indeed with the introduction that "Vovochka" is the Russian take on "Home Alone", I was expecting something more slapstick and light-hearted. While "Vovochka" certainly has plenty of over-the-top comedic moments, I was struck by the film's content and honesty.
American family films are more often than not weighed down with a sappy moral responsibility to the younger members of its audience. "Vovochka" ends on an ambiguous, even bleak note that offers no resolution. Will our young hero ever really "grow up?" Maybe. Maybe not. Therein lies the simple honesty of this Russian "Home Alone".
The father and uncle smoking on the porch - this is something that would never fly in US family cinema, but it's there in "Vovochka", and it goes to show how picky American studios can get over PG content.
"Vovochka" is still very much "fun" - the snowmobile chase and Vladimir Putin (was that really him?) cameo are worth the price of admission alone. I would definitely recommend this film alone or as a double feature up against Chris Columbus' tame and morally preachy US "Home Alone".
I really liked this film. Having seen it indeed with the introduction that "Vovochka" is the Russian take on "Home Alone", I was expecting something more slapstick and light-hearted. While "Vovochka" certainly has plenty of over-the-top comedic moments, I was struck by the film's content and honesty.
American family films are more often than not weighed down with a sappy moral responsibility to the younger members of its audience. "Vovochka" ends on an ambiguous, even bleak note that offers no resolution. Will our young hero ever really "grow up?" Maybe. Maybe not. Therein lies the simple honesty of this Russian "Home Alone".
The father and uncle smoking on the porch - this is something that would never fly in US family cinema, but it's there in "Vovochka", and it goes to show how picky American studios can get over PG content.
"Vovochka" is still very much "fun" - the snowmobile chase and Vladimir Putin (was that really him?) cameo are worth the price of admission alone. I would definitely recommend this film alone or as a double feature up against Chris Columbus' tame and morally preachy US "Home Alone".