FilmSnobReviews

Title: Coming 2 America
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: Craig Brewer
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Shari Headley
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins

What It Is: Our hero from the first Coming to America Prince Akeem (Murphy) is back. This time he’s searching for his legacy. You see his father is on his death bed and he is on the precipice of becoming the King of Zamunda. When Akeem finds out that he may have a son in America, he attempts to find him and bring him back to his roots from his first visit there. This son, Javelle (Jermaine Fowler) isn’t exactly princely. That’s where Akeem and his royal right-hand man Semmi have to prep him.

What We Think: This film could’ve gone several different ways. Having the legacy the first film does. Thankfully it balanced nostalgia for the first film with crafting something new out of the already developed world. Most of the jokes hit exactly as they’re supposed to and the updated setting completely works. Eddie Murphy isn’t trying all that hard and that, to me, is when he’s at his best. The new additions are all very funny and they totally work. This, much like Bill and Ted Face the Music is a well-executed piece of ’80s nostalgia.

Our Grade: B-, What an unbelievably fun surprise. Not only do I give this a strong recommendation but I would say this is the surprise comedy of the year. Eddie Murphy and Arsenio are good and Eddie hasn’t been this funny in over a full decade. Let’s hope this is a beacon of things to come and not a harbinger that we’ll have to wait another decade for great output from Murphy. The younger cast have a bright future particularly Nomzamo Mbatha who I hadn’t seen in anything previously. She is a light in this film.