“Coming 2 America” Movie Review by Stephanie Chapman

“Coming 2 America” Movie Review by Stephanie Chapman

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April 4, 2021 10:02 am |

Wesley Snipes and Eddie Murphy star in COMING 2 AMERICA Photo: Quantrell D. Colbert © 2020 Paramount Pictures

Most people can quote their favorite line from the original 1988 film “Coming to America”. There are dozens of memorable scenes to choose from featuring an array of characters. Many of whom, were played by the movie’s stars, Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall.

In the much-anticipated 2021 sequel directed by John Landis and written by Eddie Murphy, David Sheffield and Barry Blaustein, Eddie Murphy reprises his role as “Prince Akeem” of Zamunda. “Akeem” soon learns that he unknowingly fathered a son back in Queens during his original trip the United States. He then brings his son back to Zamunda to train him in royal life in preparation for his future place on the throne.

The few laughs that can be found come from the organic chemistry between Murphy and Arsenio Hall (who reprises his role as “Semmi”). Both Murphy and Hall again find themselves in prosthetics, as they bring back some of the beloved characters from the first film (i.e. barbershop guys and the preacher). But the jokes aren’t fresh and often feel forced, which may leave the audience longing for the belly laughs they experienced watching the original film.

Writing for this film also falls short. Some story lines from the original film are manipulated via flashbacks to make the current film’s plot make sense. Unfortunately it feels forced and the payoff is a complicated storyline full of plot holes and unanswered questions. Throw in a few ridiculous cameos from some pop stars and you’ve got a buffet of excessive ideas with no clear vision. The one silver lining is the costume design, which like the original film is breathtaking and certainly deserves some award season recognition when the time comes.

Overall, this film over delivers on nostalgia but under delivers on comedy and plot. It’s a solid effort from Murphy and Hall but most of the magic created in the first film is missing from this sequel. As a standalone film it simply doesn’t hold a candle to its modern day competition.

PCL Rating: Toss It

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: Rotten

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