‘Coming 2 America’ Just Wants to Be Liked
The greatest trick of the original film is the way that it played like an inside joke, a quality the sequel is noticeably lacking
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In the second act of
Coming 2 America, the now–King Akeem’s recently discovered and hastily incorporated son, Lavelle (Jermaine Fowler), chats among the thickets of the royal garden with his hairdresser and love interest, Mirembe (Nomzamo Mbatha). They’re talking about the differences between America and Zamunda, the fictional African country that Lavelle is next in line to lead. Their pace and discussion meanders before landing on the topic of American filmmaking. “What do we have besides superhero shit, remakes, and sequels to old movies nobody asked for?” Lavelle asks.