Coming to America (1988)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

John Landis

Writers (WGA):

Eddie Murphy (story)
David Sheffield (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

29 June 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

This summer, Prince Akeem discovers America.

Plot:

An African prince goes to Queens, New York City to find a wife whom he can respect for her intelligence and will.

Plot Keywords:

Prince | America | Queens New York | Love | Urban Decay

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins

Cast

Eddie Murphy	...	Prince Akeem / Clarence / Randy Watson / Saul
Arsenio Hall	...	Semmi / Extremely Ugly Girl / Morris / Reverend Brown
James Earl Jones	...	King Jaffe Joffer
John Amos	...	Cleo McDowell
Madge Sinclair	...	Queen Aoleon
Shari Headley	...	Lisa McDowell
Paul Bates	...	Oha
Eriq La Salle	...	Darryl Jenks
Frankie Faison	...	Landlord
Vanessa Bell Calloway	...	Imani Izzi (as Vanessa Bell)
Louie Anderson	...	Maurice
Allison Dean	...	Patrice McDowell
Sheila Johnson	...	Lady-in-Waiting
Jake Steinfeld	...	Cab Driver
Calvin Lockhart	...	Colonel Izzi

Also Known As:

Prince in New York (Europe: English title) (video title)

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:PG (TV rating) (cut) | South Korea:15 | West Germany:12 (f) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Norway:11 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Big Sky Ranch - 4927 Bennett Road, Simi Valley, California, USA

Company:

Eddie Murphy Productions

Trivia:

In the credits, the fictitious Zamundun Film Commission are thanked.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Oha pays Cleo "for his trouble", the bill is crumpled when it is put on the counter. When Cleo picks it up for the close up, the bill is crisp and flat. This happens again when Cleo pulls the bill from his pocket to show to Lisa.

Quotes:

Telegraph Lady: You actually want to send this?
Semmi: Why? What is wrong? Read it to me.
Telegraph Lady: To His Majesty, King Jaffe Joffer, The Royal Palace, Zamunda. Sire, Akeem and I have depleted our funds. Kindly send 300, 000 American dollars immediately, as we are in dire straits. Your humble servant, Semmi.
[mispronounces "Semmi"]
Semmi: Semmi
[corrects her]
Telegraph Lady: Semmi
[pronounces it correctly]
Semmi: Should I make it 400,000?
Telegraph Lady: You think that'd be enough?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "HBO First Look: The Making of 'Dr. Dolittle 2' (#8.7)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

Ooo Baby Baby

Excellent humor and a nice story

I once used to be a fan of Eddie Murphy and his movies, but in recent years the only one of "his" movies that I loved was 'Shrek'. He's excellent as the voice of Donkey, but the rest of his movies aren't exactly the best examples of fine humor (think of movies like 'The Nutty Professor'). It's a good thing that from time to time you can still see one of his older ones on the television, so you won't forget that the man really has some talent.

In this movie Eddie Murphy plays, most of the time, the role of Prince Akeem of Zamunda. On his 21st birthday he'll have to marry a woman he has never seen before. Because he isn't too happy with that and because he wants a wife that can do more than doing exactly what he tells her to do (like for instance barking like a dog), he decides to go to America to find the love of his life. The only problem is that the girl shouldn't love him for his title and his money, but for his personality. At first all he gets is a big culture shock, but eventually he'll find a girl he really likes...

This movie is really one of the funniest Eddie Murphy has ever made. It has a good story and offers plenty of laughs, but this isn't a comedy full of toilet humor and may therefor seem dated to the youngest viewers (let's say those who were born in the nineties). Personally I really appreciated the fact that not all humor was about farting, vomiting and other bodily functions, but perhaps that's just me, perhaps I'm just getting too old to understand today's humor (almost 27 right now).

There are some excellent parts in the movie (I really love those old men at the barber shop for instance) and overall the quality is high enough to enjoy the entire movie. That's why I give it a 7.5/10.