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 | Queens New York City | Love | America | Spit Take

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

Color:

Color (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:

Most of the dance that's performed by the royal dancers before presenting Prince Akeem's queen-to-be is a high-tempo rendition of the dance from Michael Jackson's Thriller (1983) (TV) (also directed by John Landis).

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: In a scene where Mr. McDowell is in his office, he picks up the company manual and it says "McDonald's." The restaurant is called McDowell's, a parody of McDonald's, but the manual actually says McDonald's on it. However, that is actually the joke - since McDowell's has deliberately copied every aspect of McDonald's (as evidenced by the guy taking pictures of the restaurant earlier in the film), it would not be surprising that Mr. McDowell would have a copy of the manual.

Quotes:

Maurice: Mr. McDowell?
Cleo McDowell: Yes?
Maurice: There's some people here to see you.
Cleo McDowell: They're not from McDonalds are they?
Cleo McDowell: I don't think so.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Grim & Evil: My Fair Mandy (#5.1)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

Come Into My Life

Trading Countries

Eddie Murphy stars as Prince Hakeem, who comes to America with his servant (Arsenio Hall) in search of a future wife who can respect him for his intelligence, not his money. The film is another '80s fish-out-of-water comedy in the vein of "Crocodile Dundee" -- it delivers some of the best jokes of Murphy's career. Although it never becomes "great" and is quite uneven at times, entering its rough spots where the jokes seem to slow down and become not quite as funny, the movie is always entertaining and Murphy's charismatic lead performance displays his skills as a comedian -- unfortunately Hall is not as fortunate. Frankly, he stinks.

The movie features a wide range of cameos and/or star appearances (before they became stars) -- James Earl Jones, Louie Anderson, and Samuel L. Jackson popping up in various scenes.

The movie works as a sort of sequel to TRADING PLACES (1983) -- both star Eddie Murphy, both were directed by John Landis, both deal with the prospect of "trading places" (or countries, in this situation), etc.

Also, it features a great self-referential moment (linked to Trading Places) when Murphy gives a couple of bums a wad of money. It turns out the homeless guys are more than just familiar faces...

Recommended. 4/5