- Starring
- Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones
- Writers
- David Sheffield, Barry W. Blaustein
- Director
- John Landis
- Rating
- 14A (Canada), R (United States)
- Running Time
- 117 minutes
Overall Score
Rating Summary
Coming to America came out at the heights of Eddie Murphy’s career. After a successful time on Saturday Night Live and a couple of blockbusters (the biggest one being Beverly Hills Cop), he could do anything he wanted. He created this story and handed it to writers David Sheffield and Barry W. Blaustein and director John Landis, who directed him in the hilarious Trading Places and who also had a good run in the 1980’s. The film immediately became a big success, and it is easy to see why.
Coming to America follows Akeem (Murphy), a prince of an African country that was spoiled all his life. He is not even allowed to brush his own teeth or clean himself after using the toiled. Tired of the overprotection and destined to be married to a woman who was trained since her birth to serve him without thinking of herself, he decides to go to New York with his companion Semmi (Hall) to look for new experiences and true love. He gets a job at McDowell’s, a fast-food restaurant, and falls in love with his boss’ daughter.
The story starts in Africa, in a fictitious country where Akeem is the oh-so-spoiled prince. We get about 10 to 15 minutes to see his life before he moves to NY, and it is one of the most hilarious start of any comedy ever made. The absurdity keeps on coming in every single moment, one crazier than the one that came before, and it is so over the top it’s impossible to keep oneself together. Not every joke aged that well 32 years later, but most of them are still really, really funny. There are so many that are laugh out loud funny, it’s hard pointing out which one is the best. Most of them are deliciously inventive. And there is also another element that only happen in that prologue: the craziness is great to establish the world we are watching while at the same time it is always blinking one eye to the audience as an affirmation that it is totally made up. No wonder Murphy breaks the fourth wall in one of the sequences; there is almost a sense of cartoon comedy here, and it is just so much fun.
When things move to the US, Coming to America becomes more tamed and conventional, which hurts the movie a bit. But Murphy and Hall more than make up for that loss, delivering tour de forces performances while juggling multiple characters. Their chemistry is amazing, and one of the best parts of the comedy in the film is that, while some situations are over the top, the performances are always grounded and real. A breath of fresh air when we reflect on what is considered a comedic performance nowadays…
The comedy takes a step back to romance, and even though it is not the most elaborate story, it is still endearing, and we root for the lead couple. Especially because the other contestant Darryl Jenks (Eric La Salle) is just stupidly arrogant. And his costumes are probably the most inspired of the New York cast, they are just hilarious to look at. We are talking about the 80’s, so at times now it is hard to separate what was true 80’s fashion to what is meant to be a joke, and that exercise alone is quite amusing. Meanwhile, Coming to America runs a bit longer than it should, but the cast never lets the ball drop. When they are inspired, things turn into gold. And the supporting cast includes Samuel L. Jackson, Cuba Gooding Jr., Louie Anderson and a marvelous special appearance by Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche.
In the end, Coming to America is one of the films that best symbolizes the 1980’s. And it still works relatively well today.
still courtesy of Paramount Pictures
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