Rotten
The two different ends require shifts in point of view that are beyond Sayles's talent as a visual storyteller, and the film does not cohere.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
The Brother from Another Planet
He's not just another out-of-towner...
1984 · 1h 48m · R
Comedy, Drama, Science Fiction
Directed by
John Sayles
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The Brother from Another Planet
Overview
A mute alien with the appearance of a black human is chased by outer-space bounty hunters through the streets of Harlem.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
92%
Tomatometer
Fresh
Central to the film's deft balancing act between shaggy dog humour and something just a little more serious is Morton's expressive performance as the alien, though the rest of the cast also plays admirably.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Fresh
The movie finds countless opportunities for humorous scenes, most of them with a quiet little bite, a way of causing us to look at our society.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Fresh
It's a nice, unsurprising shaggy-dog story that goes on far too long.
Vincent Canby, New York Times
Rotten
A vastly amusing but progressively erratic look at the Harlem adventures of an alien, a black E.T.
Variety
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