Eddie Murphy is back, and back up to speed, in âComing 2 Americaâ
By Ty Burr Globe Staff,Updated March 4, 2021, 3:00 p.m.
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Released in 1988, âComing to Americaâ is probably the most congenial comedy in Eddie Murphyâs
filmography. The story of a royal prince from the fictional African country of Zamunda who looks for a queen in â where else? â Queens, N.Y., the movie is as broad as a barn and twice as sweet-natured. Youâd have every expectation that a sequel arriving 33 years late to the party would be a bust.
Itâs a pleasure to report, then, that âComing 2 Americaâ lands on Amazon Prime largely in possession of the first filmâs better qualities. Itâs silly of mind and open of heart, full of visual and sonic eye candy while telling a predictable story with pleasurable generosity. The laughs are pitched right over the plate with the skill and enjoyment of a team of vaudeville pros. As reunions go, it
Coming to America sequel transports Eddie Murphy classic to a different era, with new comedy talent in tow
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MarMarch 2021 at 8:59pm I’ve done over 40 movies in the last 40 years . but I don’t have any movie that became this cult movie, Murphy told the LA Times of the first film.
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Eddie Murphy was at the peak of his 80s imperial phase when he delivered what would become one of his most enduring hits: a big-studio romantic comedy about an earnest African prince who defied tradition to find true love in Queens, New York, a world of lingering jheri curls, garrulous barbershops, and pre-gentrification hustle.
Last modified on Sun 7 Mar 2021 07.50 EST
Did we need a sequel to Eddie Murphyâs fish-out-of-water 1980s romp Coming to America â with the word âtoâ transformed into a â2â? Will this trigger wacky sequel ideas for Bergmanâs Face to Face, or Kurosawaâs To Live?
The original movie, directed by John Landis, had Murphy as the discontented Prince Akeem of the fictional African state Zamunda, obedient to his sonorous father the king (James Earl Jones), but yearning for a modern, independent-minded bride. So he travels to Queens, New York with his pal Semmi (whose name doesnât get the obvious gag despite the nonstop sexual innuendo), played by Arsenio Hall. Posing as students, they encounter various latexed comedy characters â barbers, barbershop customers, etc, played by Murphy and Hall themselves â and Akeem finally finds happiness with Lisa, played by Shari Headley. A TV pilot in 1989 starring In Living Colorâs Tommy Davidson
‘Coming 2 America’ Film Review: Eddie Murphy Plays the Hits in Rote Sequel
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Photo Courtesy of Amazon Studios
Every so often, we get sequels that move a story forward, that enrich beloved characters and the world they inhabit, or that upends and deconstructs the first movie entirely. But most of the time, we get safe, stodgy, repetitive follow-ups like “Coming 2 America,” which goes out of its way to make sure that every joke from the first movie comes out to take another bow.
Coming 2 America review: A parody of its iconic predecessor avclub.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from avclub.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.