Coming to America (1988) Paramount/Comedy RT: 116 minutes Rated R (language, nudity, sexual references) Director: John Landis Screenplay: David Sheffield and Barry W. Blaustein Music: Nile Rogers Cinematography: Woody Omens Release date: June 29, 1988 (US) Cast: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, Madge Sinclair, John Amos, Shari Headly, Paul Bates, Louie Anderson, Eriq La Salle, Frankie Faison, Clint Smith, Vanessa Bell, Allison Dean, Sheila Johnson, Jake Steinfeld, Samuel L. Jackson, Calvin Lockhart, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Elaine Kagan, Garcelle Beauvais, Feather, Stephanie Simon, Victoria Dillard, Don Ameche, Ralph Bellamy. Box Office: $128.1M (US)/$288.7M (World)
Rating: ****
Does anybody else remember when Eddie Murphy was actually funny and made good movies like 48 Hrs., Trading Places and Beverly Hills Cop? I even enjoyed The Golden Child, Beverly Hills Cop II and Harlem Nights. My favorite Eddie movie is the rom-com Coming to America. It’s a real departure for the former SNL cast member who taps into his sweet side to play an African prince who comes to America to find his true love. We’re used to seeing him as streetwise, smart ass characters like Reggie Hammond and Axel Foley. Who knew he could be a romantic lead? It was a bold move on John Landis’ (The Blues Brothers) to cast the star off in untested waters. It works like a charm. In my not at all humble opinion, it’s the best performance of Murphy’s career.
As per his country’s tradition, Prince Akeem (Murphy) of the fictional African nation of Zamunda will celebrate his 21st birthday by meeting and marrying his arranged bride-to-be. He’s not completely on board with it. He’d rather marry a woman he chooses for himself, one who loves him for who he is instead of what he has. His father King Jaffe (Jones, Conan the Barbarian), misunderstanding his son’s intentions, sends him to America to “sow his royal oats”.
Akeem, along with his best friend/personal aide Semmi (Hall, Harlem Nights), decides to go to Queens in New York. What better place to find his queen? After settling into a squalid tenement apartment in the guise of foreign students, they hit the clubs only to meet a succession of crazy women. They end up at a Black Awareness rally where Akeem spots Lisa (Headley, The Haves and the Have Nots) for the first time. Instantly smitten by the young attractive woman, He and Semmi get jobs at a fast food restaurant owned by her father Cleo (Amos, Good Times) where Akeem attempts to woo Lisa away from her rich arrogant jerk of a boyfriend Darryl (La Salle, ER). Naturally, they fall for each other. He keeps up the poor student charade, but it’s only a matter of time before the cat’s out of the bag.
As I long suspected about Murphy, there’s a good actor beneath the familiar persona. He proves it beyond a shadow of a doubt in Coming to America, a good-natured comedy that marks the first time Murphy played multiple roles in a movie. Thanks to the awesome skills of Oscar-winning makeup artist Rick Baker (An American Werewolf in London), the actor-comedian also plays a barber, a terrible soul singer and an elderly Jewish man. Hall follows suit by playing another barber, a preacher and a cross-dresser the guys meet in a club. It’s one of my favorite things about Coming to America even though it ultimately gave rise to Murphy repeating the trick in other movies- e.g. Nutty Professor I & II, Bowfinger and Norbit. ANYWAY, he’s absolutely brilliant in Coming to America. He gets laughs the old-fashioned way, he earns them. He has some riotous moments as his character tries to adapt to life in America. One of my favorite scenes has him standing on the fire escape outside his apartment joyously greeting the world by announcing “Good morning, my neighbors!” The response he gets is so typical of New York. I laughed a lot during Coming to America, but this scene had me rolling. I also love the scenes in the barber shop with the guys arguing and debating subjects like Joe Lewis and Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali. Oh, and we mustn’t forget Soul Glo, a popular Jheri curl hairstyling aide used by Darryl and his family (they own the company).
Kudos to Landis on the supporting cast from which Coming to America benefits greatly. Jones brings class to EVERYTHING he’s in. He’s magnificently regal as King Jaffe, a ruler so hung up on tradition, he doesn’t see how unhappy his son is. When he learns of Lisa, he’s against it and tries to stop it. Madge Sinclair (Roots) is also great as Queen Aoleon, Akeem’s supportive mother. She and Jones are an excellent pair; they would go on to voice Simba’s parents in The Lion King. Amos, whose character owns a McDonald’s knock-off called McDowell’s, is terrific as Lisa’s father. Headley is positively delightful as Lisa, an independent type tired of Darryl’s BS. She and Murphy have amazing chemistry. He also works well with co-star Hall giving him room to do his own thing. Really, the whole cast does a fine job. BTW, look for an in-joke scene featuring a couple of characters from a previous Landis comedy.
Landis has a gift for broad comedies. He’s the guy responsible for classics like Animal House, The Blues Brothers and Trading Places. Coming to America is a change of pace for him too. It’s quieter than we’re used to seeing from him. He tells a nice love story with very funny moments sprinkled throughout. He earns points for not treating Africa and its citizens like a joke a la Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls. Although none of it is actually filmed in Africa, Landis showcases their style of dress and dance in the scene where Akeem meets his intended bride-to-be. It’s nice to see Africa get the respect it deserves.
I don’t know what else to say about Coming to America that I haven’t already said. It’s one of those movies you can watch over and over and not get bored. It’s funny at the right moments. It’s sweet watching Murphy and Headley’s characters fall in love. Akeem is a genuinely nice person; there’s not a mean bone in his body. He’s even respectful when disarming a robber (played by Samuel L. Jackson) that tries to hold up McDowell’s. I just LOVE this movie! It should be used as a template for film students in Rom-Com 101. It’s a perfect example of its genre.
