Coming to America

<<

Catching Up

>>

This one has been on my "to-see" list for quite some time now. I'm not entirely sure why, but for whatever reason, I never really gave this one a second thought. Perhaps it's just not talked about as much as other comedies of the era, but I have to admit that upon finally seeing it for myself, I'm sorry it took so long.

Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) is the sole heir to the throne of the fictional land of Zamunda, somewhere in Africa. His parents, King Jaffe (James Earl Jones) and Queen Aoleon (Madge Sinclair) see to it that he gets the royal treatment, which includes things like getting bathed by maidens, and walking on flower pedals, but Akeem sees the whole thing as a bit much.

Akeem is arranged to be married to the lovely Imani Izzi (Venessa Bell), but he is somewhat turned off with her servitude upon learning that she'll simply do anything he wants, and her interests are whatever he likes. He then requests to explore America to seek out something more. His father sees it as an opportunity to sew his royal oats, though, and allows him to go with his servant and best frend Semi (Arsenio Hall) to check things out.

Eventually, things lead to Lisa McDowell (Shari Headley), a woman with all the qualities that Akeem is looking for. However, a jerk named Darryl Jenks (Eriq La Salle) stands in his way, being Lisa's boyfriend, wealthy due to the family business, and favored by Lisa's father (John Amos). Without any pressure, Akeem does what he can to respectfully win Lisa over.

Keeping in mind that I really didn't know much about this movie going into it, I can recommend it highly as one of the most thoroughly acted Eddie Murphy performances. I say this, as he shows range playing a variety of characters that besides Akeem include an obnoxious barber named Clarence, a Jewish man named Saul, and a reverend named Randy Watson. It's a good one for Arsenio, too, taking on the characters of Clarence's friend, Morris, Reverend Brown, and a woman who hits on the two of them in one of the funniest scenes of the film.

While the story is kinda overall predictable and basic by today's standards, it does stand out as one of the funnier romantic comedies of the 80s, that probably wouldn't be classified by anyone as a "chick flick" (for lack of a better term). It's very much an Eddie Murphy fueled comedy, and it gets the laughs, especially when Arsenio helps it along as a good contrast to Akeem. But it's also very sweet, and the whole theme is about liking someone for who they are, not what they have. Think of it like 'Aladdin', but reversed.

I had a good time with it, and I think it makes for a nice movie to throw on for a Sunday afternoon laugh. Nothing here gave me a knee-slapping laugh, but there were still some genuine giggles here and there. My only slight problem with it is that I felt it ended very abruptly, as though there may have been a scene missing. But with that said, the rest of it is a good time, and it'll probably still put a smile on your face.

3/5

---