The Brother from Another Planet (1984)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

John Sayles

Writer:

John Sayles (writer)

Release Date:

7 September 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Welcome to a world of crude beauty... of danger and excitement... of wonders, legend, and imagination... Welcome to Harlem, Brother.

Plot:

A mute alien is chased by outer-space bounty hunters through the streets of Harlem in this thought-provoking cult classic.

Plot Keywords:

Harlem | Mute | Alien | Black Man | Slave

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

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

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

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:15 | Australia:M | Finland:K-8 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Ellis Island, New York Harbor, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Anarchist's Convention Films

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).

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."

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.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs "Dragnet" (1951)

Soundtrack:

Boss of the Block

Great Cult Film.

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.