The Brother from Another Planet *** (1984, Joe Morton, Daryl Edwards, Rosanna Carter) – Classic Movie Review 10,396

Writer-director John Sayles’s entertaining, satirical 1984 sci-fi comedy The Brother from Another Planet is about a mute alien extra-terrestrial brother (Joe Morton) from another planet who arrives in Harlem, where he impresses the community and they help him against two outer-space bounty hunters chasing him.

The Brother from Another Planet is cheaply made ($350,000) and it struggles in the final act when Sayles throws in a drugs plot to keep it going. But it is inventively filmed, the performances are funny, and the witty premise and amusing dialogue make it a little winner.

Also in the cast are Tom Wright as Sam, Caroline Aaron as Randy Sue Carter, Leonard Jackson as Smokey, Bill Cobbs as Walter, Maggie Renzi as Noreen, Steve James as Odell, Daryl Edwards as Fly, Rosanna Carter as West Indian Woman, Renn Woods as Bernice, David Strathairn as Man In Black, John Sayles as Man In Black, Rosetta LeNoire as Mama and Josh Mostel as Casio Vendor.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,396

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