Maidexpl Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

Abbigail Bush what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Derry Herrera Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Freeman This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Scarecrow-88 A black skinned alien, who doesn't utter a single word yet understands what others are saying, crashlands in Harlem. He meets various people, such as some quirky, interesting black characters in a bar setting who would befriend him even though he doesn't say anything to them. He often sits or looks on as people just chat away. He has gifted abilities such as his touch being able to repair equipment magically, the way his right eye can be removed and used as an image recording device, can heal wounds, or how anything solid object he embraces with his touch can speak from the noise of a past incident. In Harlem, he's introduced to racism, poverty, lust, drugs, crime, sex, among other things as two alien "police"(played by director Sayles and his frequent actor David Strathairn)are trying to locate his whereabouts so they can "haul him in." The film show our alien's particular interest in two tragic dope-pushers(..and abusers)and how their plight might result from wealthy uptown types. I think ultimately, the film is a candid fish-out-of-water view of Harlem's plight from a babe's point-of-view.Introspective tale regarding Harlem and how it is viewed by many( a beat cop who chats with our alien, two white men from Indiana who get lost, etc). I thought the film was on target using comedy as an avenue to expose what had happened to Harlem over the years. Particularly interesting is listening to the men in the bar as they often are our real insight into how Halrem has changed over the years. Joe Morton is really amazing because he has to be convincing without a line of dialogue. Having us believe he's from some other planet is not the easiest task, but it's a credit to the actor and his director that this flick accomplishes it. Just a brilliant indie from acclaimed writer/director Sayles.

k4man123 What I love about Sayles is that he never forgets that first and foremost, movies should tell stories.This one is a real gem in the rough. It has the irreverence and SciFi conventions of Barry Sonnenfeld's MIB but with social commentary instead of a budget. Also, instead of merely clever comments on NYC life, Sayles shows his characteristic political side by highlighting little tableaux of real life. Slipping in the Harriet Tubman subplot was pure Sayles.I especially loved his usage of music and the chemistry of the barroom regulars. That fight with the MIB was a hoot! Sayles, a Corman vet, knows that special effects shouldn't be used for the sake of having them.

Lee Eisenberg In what may have been John Sayles's most Hollywood-style movie - and I use that description loosely - an alien slave (Joe Morton) lands in Harlem and tries to escape two bounty hunters (the director and David Strathairn) from his planet. In the process, even though he can't talk, he starts fixing video-games (unintentionally, natch). It just goes to show that you don't need an exorbitant budget to make a good movie about extraterrestrial life. Maybe not Sayles's all-time masterpiece, but worth seeing, partly as a look at people's everyday lives. I'd recommend it.Make all the white people disappear. Yeah...

bandw 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.