Coming to America (1988)

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:

Jheri Curl Hairstyle | Prince | Bride | Arranged Marriage | Satirical

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins

US TV Schedule:

Sat. May 24

4:30 AM

HBO

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:

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

Filming Locations:

Big Sky Ranch, Simi Valley, California, USA

Company:

Eddie Murphy Productions

Trivia:

Director Trademark: [John Landis] [look to camera]When Patricia tells Daryl he needs to take off his wet clothes after he tells her that Lisa dumped him, he looks directly into the camera.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Akeem is introduced to the "Princess of Finland", who speaks Swedish... Finland is not a kingdom but Sweden is, and currently has two princesses. It's possible the person making the introduction was mistaken about where she was from.

Quotes:

Prince Akeem: Listen, I know what I like, and I know you know what I like, because you were trained to know what I like, but I would like to know, what do you like?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Lion King (1994)

Soundtrack:

That's The Way It Is

Royal Laughs

COMING TO AMERICA (1988) *** Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, Madge Sinclair, Shari Headley, John Amos, Eriq La Salle, Louie Anderson. Murphy does a fine job as an African prince unhappy about his upcoming nuptials to a woman he has never met so he sets off to New York to find his true love (and queen) with some sweet moments as well as comic (thanks largely to his and Hall's neat hat trick of playing several different characters thanks to the miracle of Rick Baker's make up). Look sharply for Vondie Curtis Hall (of tv's "Chicago Hope") as an overly welcoming fellow native stateside; Cuba Gooding Jr. in a blink-and-you'll miss cameo (getting a haircut) and the clever inserting of Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy as the Randolph Brothers from Murphy's and director John Landis' previous joint effort "Trading Places". Best bit: Murphy becoming a real New Yorker and greeting a screaming abusive neighbor with "Yes! Yes! ... and F**K YOU TOO!!!"