Best movie of this year hands down!

Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

WARNING! Spoilers Galore! If you haven't seen the film yet, you will NOT want to read this review!This film was screened on opening night of MOMA's "Future Imperfect" series on July 17, 2017. Director John Sayles introduced the film and participated in a talk afterwards. The author's intention is to preserve some of the discussion.The panel consisted of the director, producers Maggie Renzi and Peggy Rajski, actors Daryl Edwards and Fisher Stevens,and curator Josh Siegel.Sayles said the plot came to him in a series of dreams. The producers said the financing for another film fell through the day before shooting was to begin, but Sayles said he had $300K in the bank (his Macarthur grant)and would be willing to spend it on a film about a black ET who lands in Harlem.The first day of shooting was a disaster. The production manager's wife was in labor, and the guy who was supposed to provide the dolly track got a better offer and ditched Sayles. Fisher Stevens said he had to change his clothes in a station wagon. But the experience of this film was great fun and turned him on to independent productions.Aside: the card trick Stevens does for Joe Morton is a real effect, known in the trade as "Sam the Bellhop," popularized by Bill Malone. Stevens noted that Morton, a method actor, hardly said a word to the other cast members.Daryl Edwards said this was his second professional gig, and he was just happy to be there, not realizing the shoestring budget made for a very unconventional shoot. The opening special effect, Sayles said, cost just $50 to achieve. An audience member asked what Josh Mostel was doing in a cameo late in the film. Rajski explained he was her ex-husband!All were grateful to Siskel and Ebert, whose review of the film on their PBS show gave the film "millions of dollars worth of free publicity."This is a rousing, crowd pleasing comedy with a few dark undertones (pun not intended.)Dee Dee Bridgewater sings and has a fling with Morton. Morton gives a sensational performance as the mute fugitive. Sayles and David Strathairn are a hoot as "men in black" pursuing runaway slave Morton. The brother has empathic abilities and can fix electronics with a touch, but unlike ET and Starman, cannot restore people to life. There's a subplot about heroin that seems out of place, and the script meanders a bit, but on the whole this is a winner. At the end the MOMA audience gave the film a deserved loud ovation.Highly recommended.(This would make a great double feature with Charles Lane's "Sidewalk Stories." )

A very intelligent and heartwarming movie. Sure it has it's comical moments but I could hardly laugh because I kept feeling sorry for the mute alien - he had no idea what was happening sometimes but he does learn fast. The movie is funny yet sad at the same time.Example of what I mean by funny yet sad: He's hungry and grabs a pear to eat, the store clerk gets upset grabs the pear from him and fusses at him, she then waits on a customer, the aliens see that money was handed to the cashier for pears, so the alien ends up opening the cash register to get money to give to the cashier for some pears. Of course she thinks he was stealing and all he tried to do was to give her money for pears. That's funny but it's also very sad to me... he was hungry and but didn't have a clue about money.During the whole course of the film, my heart kept going out to our mute alien. Sure I got some giggle from the movie but I kept feeling sorry for him - like I wanted to grab him and teach him things from our planet and to protect him. LOL.This is a good movie with some comical moments, some very sad moments and, I guess you can say, a lesson to teach us about our own society (from immigration to drugs).7/10

1st watched 6/6/2007 - 7 out of 10(Dir-John Sayles): Strange and unique quiet drama about a man who lands on earth as an escapee from another planet where he was apparently a slave. Joe Morton, as this brother from the other planet has no dialogue but effectively portrays a true illegal alien. He really is a frail being who just wants to do good and be needed. He is being hunted by what appears to be his owners but he affects everyone he comes across in such a positive way that they get behind him 100% and keep these thugs from getting him. He eventually earns his money by fixing things with his otherworldly powers(once he realizes that stealing isn't right) and even gets to the point of hunting down a drug dealer in Harlem who has caused the demise of a young one in the neighborhood. This character is probably the most likable alien that has ever been put on the screen(next to maybe E.T.) and it's definitely a departure from most films. The low production value is certainly evident but the character and the storyline keeps you interested and rooting for this unlikely hero from another planet. These were the type of quiet independent movies that were made in the 80's when it was truly "seen" that the budget was low, but the makers only cared about creating a worthwhile project and John Sayles definitely did that with this one. This 80's relic is not to be missed by a true cinemaphile or anyone who wants to see the benefits of good deeds even if it's coming from someone with feet a little different than ours.

A space alien crash lands in the Hudson River and makes his way to the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. This is not your typical alien - he is mute and can pass for a black human. This setup allows director Sayles to examine the human condition, as it exits in Harlem in the 1980s, from the most innocent of perspectives. I can't comment on the accuracy of the observations made in "The Brother From Another Planet," but I can say it is a fun movie that seems grounded in social reality.The fact that The Brother can't speak works in his favor, since people are quite willing to talk at him about anything and everything that is going on in their lives and they assume that his reactions are accepting and kindly. Maybe quiet listening *is* the way to win friends. The Brother has been pretty trashed by his fall to earth and upon arrival looks much like a homeless person. In no time he comes under the help of social services and its attendant bureaucracy - how easy it is for that to happen is the kind of social observation that runs throughout this film. The Brother has some special talents, like being able to heal wounds. In one of the most touching scenes he heals a minor scrape on the knee of a young kid and the kid just smiles and accepts it as a common occurrence - a testament to how open kids are to any sort of experience.The Brother is being pursued by two men from his home planet, the implication made being that they are trying to retrieve an escaped slave. The two pursuers are played by David Strathairn and Sayles himself. They are dressed in all black and seem to be a takeoff on John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in "The Blues Brothers." Their movements are choreographed in a synchronized way that has hilarious effect. They can speak, but are not much more familiar with human behavior than The Brother. In one scene at a neighborhood bar they are asked what they want to drink and, after some hesitation, they say "Beer," and then are asked what kind and say "Draft," and then add "On the rocks." This movie is not to be watched for any special sci-fi effects, which are not much beyond those in 50s B-movies, but rather for the keen observations and the winning performance by Joe Morton as the alien. Morton's performance is all the more admirable since, being speechless, he has to revert to the skills of the silent film actors to command our attention.I am still a bit mystified by the ending. It resolves the fascination the The Brother has with graffiti, but left me with several possible interpretations.