Handlung

Protected by his brother, a mentally impaired Brooklynite pretends he's Superman and becomes a hero.

Nunzio Sabatino (David Proval), a 31-year-old, developmentally disabled man with the mental capacity of a child, walks along the roofs of his New York City neighborhood, pretending to be a superhero. Nunzio lives with his mother, Mrs. Sabatino (Morgana King), and his brother, Jamesie (James Andronica). Nunzio works as a delivery boy for Angelo (Joe Spinell), the local grocer. Nunzio's friends are young boys in the neighborhood, including Georgie (Glenn Scarpelli), who shares Nunzio's superhero fantasies. However, Nunzio is relentlessly picked upon by local teenagers, including JoJo (Vincent Russo) and Bobby (Jamie Alba). Jamesie intervenes and threatens to beat up the boys if they continue to harass his brother.

Nunzio develops a crush on Michelle (Tovah Feldshuh), a woman who works at the bakery he frequents. One day, JoJo and Bobby humiliate Nunzio by forcing him to dance with a beautiful girl at the candy store. Later, Nunzio sits on the roof, consoling himself with his superhero fantasies, but tells Georgie that he wants the boy to take over his "superhero duties," because he intends on "settling down" with Michelle.

At dinner, Nunzio announces his plans to marry Michelle. Jamesie gently explains to his brother that he does not have what it takes to support a wife and a family. A few days later, Nunzio runs into Michelle during a delivery and professes his love for her. Touched, she informs him that she has a husband and children. Devastated, Nunzio retreats back into his superhero fantasies.

One day, when Nunzio delivers groceries to Maryann, a promiscuous young woman, she seduces him and forces him to keep their sexual encounter a secret. Later, Nunzio accidentally runs his bicycle into JoJo's car when he sees Maryann. JoJo and his friends bully Nunzio until Jamesie arrives and fights them, berating them for attacking a "helpless person." Nunzio is upset by hearing his brother describe him that way. He falls into a depression and stops going to work.

Jamesie finds Nunzio at the playground, trying to fly from a rope attached to a flagpole. Jamesie scolds Nunzio, and they physically fight, eventually breaking down in tears. Later, Jamesie argues with his mother over whether or not to send Nunzio to a doctor. The next day, Nunzio runs away from home, and his family searches for the lost man.

JoJo and his friends chase Nunzio into a building, where JoJo accidentally starts a fire that quickly spreads throughout the building. Nunzio alerts the tenants of the fire and leads them to safety. Upon hearing a woman scream, Nunzio runs back inside the burning building and saves her baby, finally becoming a real superhero.