In 1988, Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall came together and delivered one of the most beloved comedies of the last century. When it was announced that the duo was working on a sequel to Coming to America, many wondered if this was going to be a nostalgia-driven sequel (a la Zoolander 2) or decades in the making follow-up that actually has something to say (a la Bill & Ted Face the Music).
The answer is somewhere in between. For fans of Coming to America, Coming 2 America is firmly nostalgic. It also has something to say—even if it isn’t presented as powerfully as it should have been.
Coming 2 America’s entire plot is set in motion with an archaic law that only a male heir may ascend to the throne of Zamunda. King Jaffe Joffer (James Earl Jones) reminds his son, Prince Akeem (Murphy) every chance he gets, that he has only daughters—Meeka (KiKi Lane), Omma (Bella Murphy), and Tinashe (Akiley Love). Now, these young women are fierce and would be worthy leaders after their own father passes on. But thanks to Zamunda’s patriarchal system, the future of the country is in question.
That is made more immediate by the presence of the military dictator of Zamunda’s neighbor, General Izzi (Wesley Snipes), who is chomping at the bit to expand his rule.
Something comes to light that sends our boys back to Queens, conveniently. It seems that everyone except Semmi (Hall) forgot that the night before Prince Akeem met his future wife Lisa (Shari Headley), he had a drug-induced (thus the memory loss) one-night-stand with Mary Junson (Leslie Jones) and nine months later she welcomed… you guessed it—a son! Lavelle Junson (Jermaine Fowler) is 30 years old and living a somewhat aimless life in Queens. When Akeem finds him, he is outside Madison Square Garden scalping tickets. Even if he doesn’t believe what this African royal has just told him, when Akeem, Semmi, and Lavelle return to the Queens apartment he shares with his mother and Uncle Reem (Tracy Jordan), mom confirms the story and our (short) stay in America is over.
Everyone on the royal jet, we’re heading back to Zamunda!
Lavelle must learn the ways of royal life in the African nation and pass some prince-worthy test that we’re told Akeem too had to pass before he was deemed worthy. There’s a ton of humor that arises from Jordan, Jones, and Fowler, who comes full circle—he’s a comedian who got into stand-up because of Murphy. They’re not fish out of water. They are merely folks who have only dreamt of luxury who suddenly find themselves surrounded by it.
Now, Akeem’s daughters are not taking to this new arrival very well. It is obvious why. But Coming 2 America never comes out and overtly states it. That gives credit to its audience. Yet at the same time, the message that it is hoping to make about girls and boys being equal and how sometimes the best royal for the job is a princess, not a prince, is never fully expressed. It is a case of assuming that the audience will understand the point that the film is trying to make. We have intelligent audiences, don’t get me wrong, but when seeking to make a point as powerful as this one, a monologue by Omma (who is played by Murphy’s real-life daughter, Bella) would have been nice.
Meanwhile, the nostalgia factor is strong. The barbershop guys are back, who are still cracking us up. So too is John Amos’ Cleo McDowell, who is opening a McDowell’s in Zamunda, and of course Louie Anderson’s Maurice. There are several occasions where clips from the first film are played to emphasize a point within the sequel. They never hit you over the head with the nostalgia-based humor, but it is there and often times too much of a low-hanging fruit.
What makes Coming 2 America special is the addition of the new blood—especially Jones, Morgan, and Snipes. The latter’s dictator is pure humor, through and through. The manner in which he even enters the room is hilarious. Can someone please start putting Snipes in leading roles again? I mean, come on!
Jones is outrageous, but never over the top. In fact, Lisa takes a liking to her (which is a welcomed surprise) and the two forge a friendship that is one of the more pleasant surprises of the sequel. Morgan is his usual awesome self and if you imagine what his hustler uncle would be like living in an African kingdom, surrounded by the luxe life, that is exactly what you get, and it is delivered impeccably by the veteran comic.
Murphy and Hall do it again, both in terms of crafting characters that we just adore in Akeem and Semmi, but also inhabiting a bevy of outlier characters that are brought to life so hysterically. Reverend Brown is back. So too is Randy Watson and this is the kind of nostalgic laced sequel aspects we can live with—never once does Coming 2 America’s inclusion of first film’s folks feel forced. They are there to further/enhance the plot and it is done so in a way that feels as organic as can be for a 30-years-in-the-making sequel.
Director Craig Brewer also inserts moments that are just pure comedic brilliance incarnate. For example, Morgan Freeman plays himself “narrating” a “funeral” for a still alive King Jaffe Joffer. This is the first time that two iconic voices, Jones, and Freeman, have shared screen time together and it is as wonderful as it sounds.
Coming 2 America airs on Amazon Prime and it is not just a guilty pleasure picture for an audience who are stuck at home, thanks to a pandemic. There is a lot of love that was put into the Coming to America follow-up that fans of that film will enjoy the sequel and can agree that it is not like Zoolander 2.
It’s not like Bill & Ted Face the Music either. It’s its own entity. When one is able to simply press play to enjoy Murphy and Hall’s reunion, just… press play!
Grade: B+