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Coming 2 America movie review: Though nothing close to the first part, Eddie Murphy's sequel is good for some laughs
Akeem Joffer (Eddie Murphy) has settled into the idyllic royal-family life with his wife, queen Lisa (Shari Headley) and their three daughters. Soon, he's crowned king of the fictionalised African country of Zamunda after his father and former king, Jaffe Joffer (James Earl Jones), breathes his last, but not before dropping a huge bomb that Akeem has an illegitimate son back in America, conceived during his trip there in the first film, and needs to bring him back as not only can none of his daughters can take the throne next according to tradition
Movie: Coming 2 America
Coming 2 America Cast: Eddie Murphy, Jermaine Fowler, KiKi Layne, Shari Headley, Arsenio Hall, Leslie Jones, Nomzamo Mbatha, Tracy Morgan, Bella Murphy, Akiley Love, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Louie Anderson, John Amos, James Earl Jones, Wesley Snipes
Coming 2 America Director: Craig Brewer
Streaming On: Amazon Prime
Before there was Jim Carrey, before there was Adam Sandler, before there was Will Ferrell, Ben Still, Seth Rogen, Kevin Hart or Jonah Hill, there was Eddie Murphy, and he was not only the King of Comedy but also box-office gold between the 80s and 90s, and among the very few who could pull off action along with comedy a la American Jackie Chan. Among his biggest hits was 1988's Coming 2 America — a lovely myth-busting of African stereotypes way back in the 80s, peppered with non-stop humour, a fell-good romance, and a plot that almost played out like a Bollywood movie. So, does the sequel that arrives 33 years later hold up to its predecessor's lofty standards. Well, it doesn't, but that also doesn't mean that it's not a decently enough enjoyable watch on its own.
So, are you excited about what to watch this weekend or what to watch this week and wondering whether Coming 2 America is worth your time? Scroll down for my full Coming 2 America review...
What's it about
Akeem Joffer (Eddie Murphy) has settled into the idyllic royal-family life with his wife, queen Lisa (Shari Headley) and their three daughters. Soon, he's crowned king of the fictionalised African country of Zamunda after his father and former king, Jaffe Joffer (James Earl Jones), breathes his last, but not before dropping a huge bomb that Akeem has an illegitimate son back in America, conceived during his trip there in the first film, and needs to bring him back as not only can none of his daughters can take the throne next according to tradition, but it'll also bring peace with the warring neighbouring nation of Nextdoria, whose leader's sister Akeem had rejected years ago after he found his American bride.
Check out the Coming 2 America trailer here...
What's hot
Eddie Murphy has still got it to in him to crack us up with the simplest off lines and most commonplace of scene, purely on the back of his inimitable facial expressions and irreplaceable dialogue delivery. Thankfully, his partner-in-comedy form the first part, Arsenio Hall, comes good again, and they're well supported by the rest of the ensemble cast, with Jermaine Fowler, KiKi Layne, Shari Headley and Wesley Snipes being the standouts. It's also refreshing to see how gender stereotypes are tackled in the sequel, after African ones were dealt with earlier, and how feminism is organically handled, with nothing being forced down our throats.
What's not
The plot is rehashed in many places from 1988's Coming to America. Plus, unlike the original, the romantic scenes and even some of the comical ones don't have the same effect second time around. Also, not all the gags hit the mark, and at more than a few times, I found my self chuckling rather laughing wholeheartedly. Additionally, the flow of Coming 2 America just feel jagged at several junctures, and the wide chasm between John Landis and Craig Brewer is as clear as the difference between day and night. It's also telling that the more erotic moments from the original movie have been severely toned down in the sequel — a stark portrait of how scared we have become under social-media scrutiny to be freely provocative.
BL Verdict
It doesn't have the same belly-aching laughs, Bollywood-styled romance, feel-good plot or organic flow of the first film, but Coming 2 America, which arrives almost 33 years later, still does the job as a lighthearted comedy, with brownie points going for how organically it busts gender stereotypes. Plus, if you've been a lifelong Eddie Murphy fan like I, then this one is hard to not like at least to a certain amount. I'm going with 3 out of 5 stars.
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