Coming to America
by John Landis
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Arsenio Hall, Eddie Murphy, James Earl Jones, John Amos, Madge SinclairDirector: John Landis
Writer: Eddie Murphy
Producer: David Sosna
Producer: George Folsey Jr.
Producer: Leslie Belzberg
Producer: Mark Lipsky
Writer: Barry W. Blaustein
Writer: David Sheffield
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: Letterbox, 1.85:1
Running Time: 116 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-03-09
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Paramount
Movie Reviews of Coming to America
Movie Review: Charming, Kind of
Summary: 3 Stars
COMING TO AMERICA is like enjoying an appetizer, yet the main course never arrives. It's light, it's fun, but when next Thursday rolls around you'll never remember you watched it. Eddie Murphy plays (and plays well) a crown prince from the (fictitious) Kingdom of Zamunda who comes to Queens to "sow some royal oats"; accompanying him is his personal servant (Arsenio Hall). Now we never know how, or why, but the Kingdom of Zamunda basks in exuberant wealth (must be the tourist dollars), so the prince, Akeem, has more money than he can spend. Yet he insists on living a pauper's life (much to the chagrin of his servant), taking a job in a fast food restaurant, where he falls in love with the boss's daughter (Shari Headley is cute as a button).
Yet she doesn't know he's a crown prince, and falls in love with Akeem as he presents himself (a well-spoken janitor). Naturally, the movie builds up to "Identity Time", and the plot moves into the been-there, done-that regimen of heartache, sorrow, stubborn pride--culminating with the patented Cinderella ending.
Murphy and Hall play well off one another, and even create additional roles as regulars in the neighborhood barber shop. (Amusing, to say the least.) James Earl Jones and Madge Sinclair are regal as the King and Queen of Zamunda, while John Amos is annoying as the boss/father of the potential bride. Ditto Eriq La Salle. And don't blink or you'll miss cameos by Donna Summer and Samuel L. Jackson. COMING TO AMERICA is charming and quaint--I just can't remember why.
D. Mikels, Author, Walk-On
Summary of Coming to America
Half of the characters in this 1988 John Landis potboiler seem to be played either by Eddie Murphy or costar Arsenio Hall, swaddled in elaborate Rick Baker makeup appliances that render them unrecognizable but also weirdly immobile. As a pampered African prince who journeys incognito to Queens, New York, to find a bride who will love him just for himself, Murphy manages to look smug and naive at the same time. There are enjoyable sequences of Murphy's Prince Akeem applying his lordly manner to his new job in a fast-food emporium, and falling for the boss's spirited daughter (Shari Headley), who teaches him how to party down, American style. But the fish-out-water premise is never fully exploited. Star spotters will have a field day locating Cuba Gooding Jr., Donna Summer, Louie Anderson, Vondie Curtis Hall, E.R.'s Eriq La Salle, and Samuel L. Jackson in their minuscule supporting roles. --David ChuteComedy DVD Video
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