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IMDb > The Brother from Another Planet (1984)
The Brother from Another Planet
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The Brother from Another Planet (1984) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   2,347 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
No change in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
John Sayles
Writer:
John Sayles (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Brother from Another Planet on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
7 September 1984 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Drama | Romance | Sci-Fi more
Tagline:
Welcome to a world of crude beauty... of danger and excitement... of wonders, legend, and imagination... Welcome to Harlem, Brother. more
Plot:
A mute alien is chased by outer-space bounty hunters through the streets of Harlem in this thought-provoking cult classic. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
2 wins & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
Scenes We Love: The Brother From Another Planet
 (From Cinematical. 12 March 2009, 4:03 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
Great Cult Film. more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Joe Morton ... The Brother
Rosanna Carter ... West Indian Woman
Ray Ramirez ... Hispanic Man
Yves Rene ... Haitian Man
Peter Richardson ... Islamic Man
Ginny Yang ... Korean Shopkeeper
Daryl Edwards ... Fly

Steve James ... Odell
Leonard Jackson ... Smokey

Bill Cobbs ... Walter
Maggie Renzi ... Noreen

Olga Merediz ... Noreen's Client

Tom Wright ... Sam
Minnie Gentry ... Mrs. Brown

Ren Woods ... Bernice
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for language, some drug content and brief nudity.
Runtime:
108 min | Australia:106 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | Spanish
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
John Sayles stated that in choosing the steel drum for the music on this movie, with its unusual and technological, yet still organic, quality, he was partly influenced by the zither music from Carol Reed's The Third Man (1949). more
Goofs:
Miscellaneous: At the end of the credits, it is written that the story, all names, characters and incidents portrayed in the film are "ficitious." more
Quotes:
Man In Black: [putting money on the bar after the Men in Black drink their two beers] Keep the change, sport.
Odell: [crossing arms, looking exasperated] That's two dollars, man.
Man In Black: [putting more money on the bar] We'll be back.
more
Movie Connections:
Spoofs "Dragnet" (1951) more
Soundtrack:
Boss of the Block more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
9 out of 9 people found the following comment useful:-
Great Cult Film., 22 March 2004
10/10
Author: film_aficionado (smenefeelibey@gmail.com) from Claremont, CA

This is one of the best and most underrated movies I have ever seen. This is a brilliant black comedy with great social commentary on racism and classism. I loved it the first time I saw it, and it held up when I bought it on DVD. This is definitely worth the time it takes to watch it, and you will find yourself quoting the movie later. The "Beer . . . on the Rocks" quote is my personal favorite, but the card trick is a close second. Have fun with this little known, early John Sayles Masterpiece.

Was the above comment useful to you?
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Great film -- what happened to the heroin kingpin? cranfan34
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