Hey guys! Welcome to a new throwback review and today is going to be a fun one! As many may already Coming 2 America, the sequel to the 1988 classic just recently became available to stream on Amazon Prime, so I wondered what better way to celebrate than to talk about the original (yes I’ll be reviewing the sequel as well of course). Yes the classic Eddie Murphy comedy was a huge hit back in it’s day becoming (and still is) one of his biggest grossers, and being beloved by a lot of people as well. It came out right when Murphy was still an A-list celebrity and was also one of the biggest features to have a largely African American cast at the time. So yeah it made a huge impact in many ways but how well has it held up all these years. Well time to find out as we will be joining Prince Akeem on his trip to Queens, New York, as embarks on a journey for love, a journey that never ceases to entertain!
We start off in the wealthy African nation of Zamunda where we meet our protagonist, Prince Akeem Joffer, who lives a very pampered way of life where his servants do everything for him. He has started to grow tired of this lifestyle and now that he has just turned 21, he yearns to do more for himself, and take control of his life, something that his father, King Jaffe, doesn’t seem to fully comprehend. This is also the day in which his parents have selected a bride for him to marry, one that will do all that she can to satisfy his needs and it is here where Akeem finally decides that he must go out in the world and his own bride. So tricking his father into thinking he id going to travel the world looking to get himself into erotic situation, Akeem, and his loyal aide, and good friend, Semmi head to Queens, New York, where he hopes to find a true love who loves him for who he is, rather than what he is.
For me the very best comedies are the ones that are able to of course be really funny, while also having a lot of heart to them at the same time with characters that are worth rooting for and Coming to America accomplishes this very well. It’s a fish out of water about a guy wanting to do more with his life, a story that is common, but in this case it’s very well executed and is very funny which is arguably the most important aspect of any comedy. One of the things that I like the most about this movie is how it’s able to utilize different types of comedy (like some absurdist humor, a bit of raunch, and even downright parody at times) and blend them seamlessly as the tone never feels uneven. Every time I watch this movie I always end laughing out loud at many of the jokes, gags, and dialogue which is very witty and instantly quotable. The writers really took advantage of the premise of a pampered Prince from Africa moving to Queens, New York, and were able to get so many fun, and memorable situations out of it that makes me smile every time. However not only can it be very clever, and laugh out loud hilarious but it also has genuine heart to it with a number of strong emotional moments that help balance the comedy. This is thanks to a number of factors most notably that Akeem himself makes for likable protagonist who is given some relatability as someone who wants to do something more and meaningful with his monotonous life and prove his independence and that he doesn’t need to have everyone constantly doing things for him. Also the romance he develops with a girl named Lisa turns out to be very sweet as they make for a nice couple where they are both looking for the right person to be together with (in Lisa’s case she wants someone who is genuinely nice, and not someone who is just rich without caring much about anything). They helps give the movie a nice beating heart and keep our investment when there aren’t crazy shenanigans taking over the screen. My only real complaint would be that like some other comedies from back then there are certainly things that haven’t aged that well, even if it’s admittedly tamer than other ones at the time and it’s not like those little parts are extremely distracting. I can also see people not liking the relaxed pacing where it does take it’s time in terms of letting us get to know the characters and focusing more on the conversations, and situations but I don’t mind it as I found it thoroughly engaging from beginning to end and I thinks it’s very well constructed in the way it sets certain plotlines, and jokes and pays them off later. It’s simply an extremely well written comedy that has wit, and heart to spare.
Another part that really impresses me with this movie is actually in terms of the production design like the sets, and the costumes, especially in the beginning when we spend time in the fictional nation of Zamunda. The people behind those really did a nice job of capturing this rich and lavish nation and it’s people with the many rooms inside of the interior of the palace, all of the wild animals just hanging in the backyard, and extravagant costumes of it’s citizens. This is in sharp contrast to Akeem’s eventual destination in Queens which is shown to be a run down place, yet there is much fun to be had in seeing Akeem react in joy to it and exaggerated as the settings may be it’s that exaggeration that makes the movie so memorable, and fun to watch (great example of this is with how rich the royal family of Zamunda is, and hoe they constantly have girls throwing flowers pedals their way whenever they make an entrance). As for John Landis’s directing I think he does a good job here and uses the camera in some fun ways when staging certain jokes, and other times making it so that there are enough little details here in there for fun. As for the soundtrack once again I like the contrast in setting as when we are in Africa, the music made up of traditional music from the country, while in America it’s a lot more modern (well for that time) and there are certain songs like Jackie Wilson’s “To Be Loved” that I can’t help but associate with this movie, which just goes to show how much it sticks in the memory.
Of course though one of the major reasons this movie works is because of the colorful cast of characters, and the fun performances from the cast. Everyone plays their respective roles very well and have excellent comedic timing. To start you have the one and only Eddie Murphy once again playing a character larger than life. Now the man is one of my favorite comedic actors out there as he has this infectious energy to him that I love and he’s certainly not afraid to speak his mind. When he gives a great performance he really goes all out and this is actually one of my favorite roles of his. It’s a little more subdued, and relaxed compared to some of his other characters but it makes sense given the character and makes it stand out from his other works, yet even then he still brims with that same energy many times. It’s a nice balance of his more raunchy roles, and his later more family friendly stuff and it works really well as Murphy fits Akeem nicely as he’s able to make so likable with his naïve charm, and sincere attitude (he never complains about the work he has to do and is always hopeful) and he in particular excels when it comes to his facial expressions which tell us a lot about what he’s thinking and the type of person he is. He’s not the only one doing a great job here though as Shari Headley makes Lisa into a likable presence and her and Akeem have such sweet chemistry between one another that it’s easy to buy them falling in love for each other. Speaking of playing well off together well, same can be said regarding Akeem’s (kind of) friendship with Arsenio Hall’s Semmi who is also very funny in how he reacts in the complete opposite way that Akeem does in America constantly complaining about it, and just wanting to get back to living in luxury. It works because Hall brings a lot of enthusiasm to the role, and his facial expressions, and reactions are also priceless. He plays off Murphy extremely well and he even gets a love interest himself in Lisa’s sister, Patrice (Allison Dean) although that comes due to a “small little lie”, regarding who he reveals himself to be. As for other major players well there are Akeem’s parents King Jaffe (James Earl Jones), and Queen Aoleon (Madge Sinclair) with the former confused about his sons desires to a comical degrees (though he does eventually come to his senses), and the latter being a lot more understanding in regard to her son’s feelings (she’s actually the one knocks the sense him), with Jones getting the most to do of the two. Eriq La Salle is good at playing the jerk type character as Darryl who is the man Lisa’s father wants to marry as he’s rich (thanks to being the heir to a hairspray empire that has a very catchy jingle) yet as stated not a very nice guy despite his best efforts to show otherwise in front of her. A stand out for me though is Lisa’s father, Cleo McDowell, played wonderfully by John Amos, who is owner of a restaurant in Queens known as McDowell’s, which is no way shape or form based off McDonald’s (seriously that’s one of my favorite gags in the movie) as he always gets some big laughs from me and proves himself to be a very caring father who in the end just wants the best for his daughter, even if his want for her to go with a rich family gets the better of him (one of my favorite scenes is when he stands up to King Jaffe after he tells her why Akeem can’t marry her). And these are just the ones who get the most screen time as even those who have but only a handful of scenes at best still are amusing and leave an impression like Paul Bates as the royal servant with some strong vocals, Oha, Vanessa Bell Calloway as Akeem’s chosen bride, Imani Izzi, Louie Anderson as a Mcdowell’s employee making his way up the ranks, Maurice, Frankie Faison as the landlord of the hotel Akeem, and Semmi stay at, and even Samuel L. Jackson himself makes a scene appearance as thief stealing from McDowell’s! Also for those who’ve seen the movie, Trading Places (another great Eddi Murphy comedy), there’s a neat little callback that I really love here. Oh and of course one of the highlights of the film is seeing Eddie Murphy, and Arsenio Hall play multiple characters throughout all of which are funny in their own way like Randy Watson, a singer talent is hilariously lacking at best, Revered Brown, a Priest obsessed with the lord, and the guys who are always at Clarence’s barber shop cracking jokes and whose dialogue is among the most quotable (Clint Smith is also among them). In all everyone is having a grand time and it’s always just such a delight to watch them play off one another.
As you can tell I highly enjoy Coming to America a lot as it is a very entertaining comedy that never ceases to make me laugh. It’s filled with sharp writing, hilarious comedy, quotable dialogue, nice production design, memorable characters, fun performances, and a nice beating heart at the center of it all. It’s one of my favorite comedies of not only of that era but also in general as I just find it so re watchable and it’s a always a joy. It a movie that I think of when I think of great comedies and I still consider it one of Eddie Murphy’s finest works. So not much to say except if you haven’t seen this and are curious, or like the cast, or just want to have good time this will more than serve that purpose and more. It may not be for everyone but for me it never gets old!
Rating: A
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