Thursday, March 24, 2011

The Brother from Another Planet (1984)


Directed by John Sayles
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, MGM)

John Sayles' comedy/drama stars Joe Morton as an alien who crashes in New York City. He is befriended by some locals in a bar in Harlem. He can't speak, but can understand English (and Spanish) and is able to nod effectively. He's got healing powers in his hands and uses them to grow a new foot and fix video games like Donkey Kong. He's fascinated by TV and drug dealers. While the film is entertaining, it seems like a wasted opportunity. Serious themes such as racism and drugs are presented but never confronted. Instead, we get silliness such as a bar fight with the "men in black", aliens who are pursuing him for unexplained reasons.


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