The Brother from Another Planet (1984)

Want to see it?

Seen it?

0
1
2
3
4
5
Rate this movie.

Buy it now on DVD

Starting at $10.59

Want to buy it?

Write a review

Discuss it

Add to lists

Recommend it

Get recommendations

Watch trailer

Directed by John Sayles.

Starring Bill Cobbs, Darryl Edwards, Leonard Jackson, Joe Morton, Steve James.

Watch trailer

Filmmaker John Sayles' first bonafide box-office success, Brother from Another Planet centers on a black escaped slave from a faraway planet (Joe Morton) who finds himself on the mean streets Harlem. Though the locals are put off by the slave's inability to speak, they are won over by his technical wizardry. He is adopted as a "brother" by his new friends, who protect him from pursuing white aliens played by director Sayles and David Strathairn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

[more]

Reviews and discussions

Independence Rules...Mostly
by JakeStevens in JakeStevens Blog

is neutral about it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Ah, the 80's. Bad music, bad clothes, and bad hair, but this is such an honest time capsule that it made me feel almost nostalgic for the Regan era. Joe Morton (best known as Dr. Miles Dyson in Terminator 2) plays the brother with aplomb. As good a job as he does in this somewhat aimless film, I'm surprised he wasn't a bigger star back in the day. He conveys so many emotions without uttering a single word through the entire film. Watch for Fisher Stevens as a card trickster in a humorous cameo. Campy and pointless, but fun.March 10th, 2007 " [More]

The Brother From Another Planet
by HairyLime in HairyLime Blog

liked it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Early John Sayles film that I saw once years and years ago, and then revisited again recently. It still holds up pretty well. Joe Morton gives an outstanding understated performance without uttering a sound, and the endless parade of oddball characters he comes into contact with throughout the movie are wonderful little set pieces, expecially the regulars at the bar where a lot of the action takes place. As usual with Sayles, he can say much more on a limited buget than movies three times the size. The drug message is a little heavy handed, and the ending is a bit confusing and abrupt (is he saying something here about the Black experience of being displaced, about the ideas of where you are FROM versus where you ARE?) - Like I've said before, ambiguous endings keep me coming back.It says a lot for Sayles that he can manage to keep bringing back the same stable of talented actors to work with him again and again, and you will notice a lot of familiar faces from his other films ... " [More]

Ever seen "Men In Black&qu ...
by Kim_Kelly in Kim_Kelly Blog

loved it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"This movie was without question, the inspiration for "Men In Black",except that John Sayles is a far superior director and Will Smith wisheshe was half the actor Joe Morton is. A wonderful tale of feeling like afish out of water... " [More]

Re: Favorite Strathairn moments
by ingrid in David Strathairn Fans

loved it.

"Oh, I loved Passion Fish too. He and Sayles have done a whole lot of work together. One of my favorite funny moments is when the two of them played alien bounty hunters, I think, in the Brother from Another Planet. A Sayles movie from the wayback machine.The Strathairn fan site and Yahoo group are a real labor of love. Watch out... downloading and watching those clips can become addictive.Spout guy Bill, who did the podcast interview, tells me there's a lot of David in Moss Goodman, and a lot of Moss in David, which he may have been telling me just to watch me lose all muscle tone. I'm being mocked for my love. But I don't care. " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

is neutral about it.

In John Sayles' return to independent filmmaking after his unhappy experience with Baby It's You, The Brother From Another Planet takes a wonderful premise and then works it for all it's worth almost to the end. After decades of extraterrestrials who unfailingly resembled earthlings of European descent, Sayles offers a visitor of a different hue, which is a clever comment in itself. The writer/director then proceeds to examine the assumptions created by those his protagonist encounters, both black and white, based solely on the color of his skin. Without overstating matters until an overwrought finale, Sayles expertly balances comedy with social commentary, hanging it all on a superb, wordless performance by Joe Morton. The size of his themes has caused many to overlook the subtlety of Sayles' work, a quality on conspicuous display here. ~ Keith Phipps, All Movie Guide

Tags: electronics , innercity , pinball , heroin , fix
View all