REVIEW: Coming 2 America Is Not the Original, But Is Still A Funny Time
Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) is finally returning to our screens in an all new adventure that finds the Prince and his best friend, Semmi (Arsenio Hall) heading back to America to find the Prince’s long lost son, Lavelle (Jermaine Fowler). In Coming 2 America, Prince Akeem learns he has a long lost son who is destined to become King of Zamunda. It is now up to Akeem to build a relationship with his new son and train him to be King or General Izzi (Wesley Snipes), the leader of Nextdoria, will take over his sacred land. However, with Lavelle comes his eclectic family including his mother, Mary (Leslie Jones) and his Uncle Reem (Tracy Morgan), and their own family traditions.
The sequel to the 1988 hit movie, Coming to America, Coming 2 America welcomes back all your favorite characters from the first movie and, thankfully, they do not get lost among all the new characters in the second addition. Murphy’s Akeem, Clarence and Randy Watson are just as great in the second movie, while Hall’s Semmi doesn’t miss a beat. Even though time has past since we last saw the people of Zamunda, when watching the movie, it feels just like yesterday you were being introduced to them. Murphy, Kenya Barris, Barry W. Blaustein, and David Sheffield have easily found a way to bring the old characters back without it feeling forced or unnecessary.
The new characters easily mesh with the old ones, creating great scenes and even better one-liners. Many of those one-liners come from Jones’ Mary, who is so over the top, you can’t help but love her. Her scenes with Murphy are comedic gold, while her scenes with Shari Headley’s Lisa will have you wishing to see a spin-off movie focused on Mary and Lisa. Morgan isn’t in it as much as I would have liked, but to watch him banter with Murphy and Jones was well worth it. Personally, my favorite new characters were the Princesses, Princess Meeka (KiKi Layne), Princess Omma (Bella Murphy) and Princess Tinashe (Akiley Love). All three ladies were kick-ass, in their own right, and will have young girls all over the world, and some adults, wanting to be them when they grow up.
Coming 2 America does not lose what made Coming to America so great. From the characters to the dance scenes to the over story, fans of the original movie will not be disappointed by this one. I will say though, the focus on female empowerment in this movie, was fantastic to see. To watch these women, not only kick butt and take names, but also have very healthy relationships with one another superseded any of the comedic moments. Murphy, Barris, Blaustein, and Sheffield knew what they were doing when they were writing this screenplay and director, Brewer, took it to a whole other level.
Grade: A