Coming To America

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, John Amos, James Earl Jones, Eriq La Salle
Written by: Eddie Murphy, David Sheffield

Director: John Landis
Year: 1988

Rating: * * * * 1/2  Stars       +       (Fan Bonus -  )  Total: * * * * 1/2

An African Prince doesn't want to go through with his arranged marriage, and wants to marry for love. He has 30 days to find his bride. Where would a prince find a wife in America? Why, Queens New York of course.

Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) talks his father King Jaffe Joffer (James Earl Jones) into letting him find his own bride. He gives him 30 days to find her, or else he marries the woman that has been pre-selected for him. Akeem and his best friend and servant, Semi (Arsenio Hall) take off to Queens New York to find her. A riches to rags premise, Akeem fully embraces American culture and the thrill of living poor, including a rat infested apartment and working at a fast-food restaurant. Semi, on the other hand does not, and often finds himself biting his lip. After several failed attempts at local nightclubs, Akeem becomes infatuated with Lisa McDowell (Shari Headley), a woman he sees at a Black Awareness meeting. Her father, Cleo McDowell (John Amos) owns McDowells Restaurant (oddly similar to McDonalds) where she manages. To get close to her, Akeem and Semi take jobs there. But if winning her over isn't hard enough, posing as an exchange student from Africa, he contends with Darryl (Eriq La Salle),  Lisa's current boyfriend. Since Darryl is wealthy, due to a jheri-curl formula called Soul-Glo invented by his parents, he's also a favorite of Lisa's Father. Akeem could easily win them over by revealing his true identity, but wants Lisa to love him for who he is.

Eddie Murphy, who's known for playing multiple rolls in films, debuts this trademark here. besides Prince Akheem, he also plays lovable loud mouth Clarence the Barber, lead singer of Sexual Chocolate and the community embarrassment Randy Watson, and the crusty old Caucasian Jew, Saul. Arsenio Hall also follows suit as fellow barber Morris, the excitable Reverend Brown, and an ugly man-eater they encounter at a nightclub.

Eddie Murphy is at his comedic best in this film, and the chemistry he has with the rest of the cast is undeniable. His scenes with Cleo McDowell, Semi, Lisa and his Father feel truly organic and unscripted. Even secondary characters like Lisa's gold digging kid sister Patrice, the Landlord, and Oha tend to steal their respective scenes. The banter that goes on at the "My-T-Sharp" barber shop is so believable and witty, they alone are worth the price of admission. Eddie also pays homage to the film that gave him his start, Trading Places. There is a scene where he gives away a stack of money, somewhere around 20 grand, to two homeless men. They turn out to be Don Ameche and Ralph Belamy, reprising their roles as the Duke Brothers, now homeless after Billy Ray and Lewis took them for everything they had. 

This movie is non stop laughs from beginning to end. Plenty of great lines and scenes that still resonate today. Perhaps one of the best African-American ensembles since Roots, Coming To America also see's then unknown actors such as Samuel L. Jackson, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Vondie Curtis-Hall getting their big screen debuts. 

SEE THE TRAILER: Coming To America