Coming to America (1988)

Director:

John Landis

Writers (WGA):

Eddie Murphy (story)
David Sheffield (screenplay) ...
(more)

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
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Hold-Up Man
Feather	...	Rose Bearer
Stephanie Simon	...	Rose Bearer
Garcelle Beauvais	...	Rose Bearer
Vondie Curtis-Hall	...	Basketball Game Vendor
Elaine Kagan	...	Telegraph Lady
Don Ameche	...	Mortimer Duke
Ralph Bellamy	...	Randolph Duke
Clint Smith	...	Sweets
Victoria Dillard	...	Bather / Dancer
Felicia Taylor	...	Bather
Midori	...	Bather (as Michele Watley)
Raymond D. Turner	...	T-Shirt Hawker
Billi Gordon	...	Large Woman
Cuba Gooding Jr.	...	Boy Getting Haircut
Uncle Ray Murphy	...	Stu
Ruben Santiago-Hudson	...	Street Hustler (as Ruben Hudson)
Paulette Banoza	...	Soul Glo Woman
Clyde Jones	...	Soul Glo Man (as Clyde R. Jones)
Patricia Matthews	...	Devil Woman
Mary Bond Davis	...	Big Stank Woman
Kara Young	...	Stuck-Up Girl
Karen Owens	...	Ex-Siamese Twin / Dancer (as Karen Renee Owens)
Sharon Owens	...	Ex-Siamese Twin / Dancer (as Sharon Renee Owens)
Lisa Gumora	...	Kinky Girl
June Boykins	...	Strange Woman
Janette Colon	...	Fresh Peaches
Vanessa Colon	...	Sugar Cube
Monique Mannen	...	Boring Girl / Dancer
Mindora Mimms	...	Awareness Woman
Cynthia Finkley	...	Awareness Woman
David Sosna	...	Cartier Delivery Man
Arthur Adams	...	Mr. Jenks
Loni Kaye Harkless	...	Mrs. Jenks
Montrose Hagins	...	Grandma Jenks
Tonja Rivers	...	Party Guest
Michael Tadross	...	Taxi Driver
Steve White	...	Subway Guy
Helen Hanft	...	Subway Lady
Birdie M. Hale	...	Elderly Passenger
Jim Abrahams	...	Face on Cutting Room Floor
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Leah Aldridge	...	Dancer
Aurorah Allain	...	Dancer
Paula Brown	...	Dancer
Dwayne Chattman	...	Dancer
Stephanie Clark	...	Dancer
Robin Dimension	...	Dancer
Carla Earle	...	Tough Girl, Death Row Inmate's Wife
Shaun Earl	...	Dancer
Eric L. Ellis	...	Dancer
Sharon Ferrol-Young	...	Dancer
Eric D. Henderson	...	Dancer
Gigi Hunter	...	Dancer
Debra Johnson	...	Dancer
Tanya Lynne Lee	...	Dancer
Jimmy Locust	...	Dancer
Donna M. Perkins	...	Dancer
Dionne Rockhold	...	Dancer
Gina Consuela Rose	...	Dancer
Randolph Scott	...	Dancer
Robbin Tasha-Ford	...	Dancer
Jerald Vincent	...	Dancer
Eyan Williams	...	Dancer
Roy Milton Davis	...	Homeless Man Around Garbage Can Bonfire (uncredited)
Dorian DeMichele	...	Viola (uncredited)
Alison Gordy	...	Blond Hooker / Bag Lady in Fast Food Place (uncredited)
Nick Savage	...	Toothbrusher (uncredited)
Scott Shepherd	...	Spectator (uncredited)

Directed by
John Landis

Writing credits (WGA)
Eddie Murphy		(story)
David Sheffield		(screenplay) &
Barry W. Blaustein		(screenplay)

Produced by
Leslie Belzberg	....	executive producer
George Folsey Jr.	....	producer
Mark Lipsky	....	executive producer
David Sosna	....	associate producer
Robert D. Wachs	....	producer

Original Music by
Nile Rodgers

Cinematography by
Sol Negrin
Woody Omens

Film Editing by
Malcolm Campbell
George Folsey Jr.

Casting by
Jackie Burch

Production Design by
Richard Macdonald

Art Direction by
Richard B. Lewis
Christopher Nowak

Costume Design by
Deborah Nadoolman

Makeup Department
Rick Baker	....	special makeup effects
Norman Cabrera	....	special makeup effects technician: Rick Baker Cinovation
Rolf John Keppler	....	makeup artist
Margaret Prentice	....	special makeup effects artist
Matt Rose	....	special makeup effects crew: Cinovation Studios
Robert L. Stevenson	....	hair department head

Production Management
Michael Tadross	....	unit production manager
William Watkins	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles Brescia	....	additional second assistant director
Richard Patrick	....	second assistant director
Tracy Rosenthal-Newsom	....	second second assistant director (as Tracy Rosenthal)
Chris Schutsky	....	location assistant director
David Sosna	....	first assistant director
Michael-McCloud Thompson	....	dga trainee (as Michael-McCloud Thompson)

Art Department
William Apperson	....	construction foreman
Stan Cockerell	....	assistant property master
Luigi Mugavero	....	set dresser
Andrew Neskoromny	....	set designer
Danny Rogers	....	signs and graphics
Philip Saccio	....	property master
Drew Struzan	....	poster artist
Edward Staten Vance	....	construction foreman
Dave Weinman	....	leadman
Ron Yates	....	set designer
Greg Knapp	....	construction medic (uncredited)
Christopher Nelson	....	set dresser (uncredited)

Sound Department
James Beshears	....	adr supervisor
Paul Timothy Carden	....	supervising sound editor
Mike Dobie	....	sound editor
Dean Drabin	....	foley mixer
Richard C. Franklin	....	supervising sound editor (as Richard C. Franklin Jr.)
Leonard T. Geschke	....	sound editor (as Lenny Geschke)
Spike Allison Hooper	....	assistant sound editor
William B. Kaplan	....	sound mixer
Pamela G. Kimber	....	assistant sound editor
Donald J. Malouf	....	sound editor (as Don Malouf)
Dan O'Connell	....	foley artist
James Sabat	....	sound mixer (as James J. Sabat)
Charles Ewing Smith	....	foley editor

Special Effects by
Clive R. Kay	....	special effects contact lenses

Visual Effects by
Syd Dutton	....	special visual effects
Bill Taylor	....	visual effects co-supervisor
Albert Whitlock	....	matte painting supervisor

Stunts
Lindell Blake	....	stunts
Alex Brown	....	stunts (as Alex A. Brown)
Andy Duppin	....	stunts
Peter Hock	....	stunts
Carlton Holder	....	stunts
John Sherrod	....	stunt coordinator
Carlton Holder	....	stunt double: Arsenio Hall (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
John Cambria	....	second assistant camera
Joseph Cosko Jr.	....	second assistant camera
John W. DeBlau	....	gaffer: New York
Ken Fisher	....	assistant camera
Richie Ford	....	electrician
Douglas C. Hart	....	first assistant camera: New York
Sunny Johnson	....	grip
Eric Leigh	....	electrician
Bruce McBroom	....	still photographer
Rick Robinson	....	assistant camera
Rick Fee	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)
Norman Glasser	....	gaffer (uncredited)

Casting Department
Rae Lockett	....	extras casting assistant

Music Department
Bob Bornstein	....	music preparation
Daniel Allan Carlin	....	music editor
Jerry Greenberg	....	executive producer: soundtrack album
Mark McKenzie	....	orchestrator
Wayne Karr	....	music recording engineer: songs (uncredited)

Other crew
Paula Abdul	....	choreographer
Deborah Ambrosino	....	senior milliner
Mattie Caruthers	....	script supervisor
Marilyn Gill	....	production assistant
Debra D. Jeffreys	....	production assistant
Enrico Mastracchi Manes	....	production assistant
Joe McDougall	....	production assistant
Brian McMillan	....	head animal trainer
Charles Miller	....	location manager: New York
Debbie Schwab	....	production coordinator
Tim Sullivan	....	parking coordinator
Janet L. Wattles	....	production accountant
Quincy Z. Gunderson	....	location assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Eddie Murphy Productions
• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1988) (USA) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1988) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Paramount Home Video (1989) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (1989) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1991) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2002) (Germany) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD) (HD-DVD)
• Paramount (1988) (France) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (199?) (Argentina) (VHS)
• CIC Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• CIC-Taft Home Video (19??) (Australia) (VHS)
• Paramount Filmes do Brasil (Brazil) (DVD)

Other Companies

• ATCO Records  soundtrack published by
• Cinema Research  opticals
• Record Plant Scoring  music recorded at
• Reel People Inc.  negative cutting
• Sylvia Fay/Lee Genick & Associates Casting  extras casting

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:

Vanessa Williams was originally considered for the role of Lisa McDowell.

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 it currently has two princesses. It's possible that the person making the introduction was mistaken.

Quotes:

Maurice: Hey, I started out mopping the floor just like you guys. But now... now I'm washing lettuce. Soon I'll be on fries; then the grill. And pretty soon, I'll make assistant manager, and that's when the big bucks start rolling in.

Movie Connections:

References Thriller (1983) (TV)

Soundtrack:

To Be Loved

Wonderful movie!

The first part of this movie, showing Eddie Murphy's life as an African prince, is one of the funniest things I have ever seen. I loved it. The wedding ceremony alone was so funny, I almost fell out of my chair from laughing so hard. I thought this could be one of the funniest movies of all time.

At about the halfway point, though, it stops being a laugh-a-minute riot, and kind of settles down into more of a quiet romance movie. The scene at the basketball game (with the man who worships Murphy) is the last really hilarious thing that happens. After that, it never again reaches the energy of the beginning.

This is not really a bad thing, though: it is still enjoyable from start to finish, even during the quiet parts. It has good actors, and it is fun to watch, and that makes it a great movie. I highly recommend it; it is one of my favorite comedies. I give it 8 out of 10 stars. See it if you haven't.