Prince Akeem (played by Eddie Murphy) has led a privileged and sheltered life. He has servants to help him with everything, including bathing and even brushing his teeth. Everywhere he goes in the palace he is preceded by three women covering his path with rose petals. But Akeem has grown weary of all the pampering and wishes he could just do things for himself. The final straw comes when he meets his future bride, who has been brought up to obey his every command. When he tries to get to know her, her response to every question is she likes whatever he likes. Akeem decides to take action and informs his parents, King Jaffe (played by James Earl Jones) and Queen Aoleon (played by Madge Sinclair) that he and his best friend/personal aide Semmi (played by Arsenio Hall) are going traveling. Akeem wants to find an independent woman who won't be afraid to express her own views and who will challenge him. When looking over the map of America trying to decide where to go to find an appropriate future Queen they settle on, of course, Queens, New York. After their initial dating attempts fail spectacularly, Akeem meets Lisa McDowell (played by Shari Headley) at a local fundraising rally to help the inner city. In an effort to get to know her better, he and Semmi get entry level jobs at the restaurant her father, Cleo (played by John Amos), owns. There is a wrinkle though in that Lisa is currently dating the rather self absorbed Darryl (played by Eric La Salle), who is the heir to the Soul Glo company, which sells Jheri Curl hairstyling products and who her father really likes as well.
The film was directed by John Landis from a script by David Sheffield and Barry Blaustein based on a story by Eddie Murphy. The film does strike an interesting balance because the story itself is actually rather wholesome yet it also is an R rated comedy, with much of the humor coming from language and nudity. Still, the film works quite well with plenty of warm humor, much of it derived from seeing Akeem and Semmi trying to blend into Queens, posing a poor college students and trying to hide their affluence, much to Semmi's chagrin as he is less than thrilled with their low class accommodations. I appreciated the production design of the film as well and the way they contrasted Akeem and Semmi's homeland of Zamunda with New York. We see the palace and grounds are populated by warm colors and a lot of green but when they get to New York they are greeted by a lot of snow and grime. It just accentuates the fish out of water scenario they find themselves in that much more. I also have to show appreciation for the film's very unique and fantastic score by Niles Rodgers.
Eddie Murphy shows a different side of himself playing Prince Akeem, who he fills with a warm generosity and kindness that makes his character very endearing. It's a refreshing break from the slick, quick-witted characters he was known for playing up until this. However, he does play three other characters in the film that allow him to sillier side, showing up under varying degrees of make up as Clarence, the owner of the local barber shop, Randy Watson, a Soul singer in a band called Sexual Chocolate and Clarence, an older Jewish gentleman who frequents the aforementioned barber shop. Arsenio Hall gets to be a bit goofier as Semmi as he tries to be there to support his lifelong friend but is less enthused about Akeem's plan, perfectly comfortable with more posh life back home. It is clear that Hall is having fun with the role though. Like Murphy, he also shows up in three other roles playing a local Reverend, Morris the barber, and an Extremely Unattractive Girl that is an early romantic prospect that Akeem and Semmi meet in a bar. James Earl Jones has an amusing turn as King Jaffe, who is a slave to tradition but at the same time wants what is best for his son. Likewise, Madge Sinclair is great as Queen Aoleon, who often has to talk sense into her husband. It's no wonder that they Jones and Sinclair were cast as Mufasa and Sarabi in The Lion King six years later (and even more amusing, during one viewing a friend noticed the lion skin sash King Jaffe wears at one point and remarked, "Is he wearing Mufasa?" and I think of that every time I watch it now. John Amos makes an great counterpoint as Cleo, who is very much a self-made man with his restaurant (even though it's a running gag that he's basically copying McDonalds). He also clearly loves his daughter and wants the best for her, which is his primary motivation for pushing her to be with the more well off Daryl because he doesn't want her to struggle like he did when he was younger. Shari Headley is great as Lisa and has some genuine chemistry with Murphy, which makes their scenes together a lot of fun to watch. She gives Lisa a real strong, independent spirit that makes it clear why Akeem would fall for her. The film also features early appearances by the likes of Louie Anderson, Samuel L. Jackson and Cuba Gooding Jr. There is also an amusing cameo by Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy, reprising their roles as Mortimer and Randolph Duke from Trading Places now two homeless men that Akeem and Lisa encounter at one point (in case you were wondering why I reviewed Trading Places first).
Coming to America is an endearing and funny comedy that has stood the test of time, remaining just as beloved now as it was then. If anything, it's popularity has only become more apparent as time has gone by. When Black Panther was released back in 2018, several people attending opening night screenings dressed up as Zamunda royalty, which I thought was very cool (you can find pictures online). But it's easy to see why this movie endures. It is a fun romantic comedy that has a certain charm to it that is hard to resist. It's certainly been a favorite of mine over the many years.
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