Coming to America (1988)

Directed by John Landis. Starring Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Shari Headley, John Amos, James Earl Jones, Eriq La Salle, Madge Sinclair, Frankie Faison, Allison Dean, Paul Bates, Clint Smith, Vanessa Bell, Louie Anderson. [R]

Pampered African prince Murphy just turned 21, which means it’s time for him to marry a princess he’s never met, but he decides he wants to marry someone of his own choosing who will love him for him and vice versa, so he and his aide/friend (Hall) travel to America and rough it as “regular Joes” in Queens to find him a mate. Because of the constrictions of the characterization, Murphy’s prince borders on the monotonous in this combination fish-out-of-water/romantic comedy, which is probably why he plays a few additional characters—a loudmouthed and opinionated barbershop owner, the untalented frontman of soul group Sexual Chocolate, and an elderly Jewish caricature—to score a few easy (if occasionally deserved) laughs. Director Landis lets the opening segments and final act run on too long (the romantic complications drag on far too long for such a foreseen conclusion, and did we need the lengthy tribal dance sequence at all?), while the script suffers from dry patches, too many sexist jokes, gags without actual punchlines (Jheri curls are wet…and?), and a no-pressure conclusion where the hero gets to return to the spoils of luxury and gets the girl he loves. Not an unpleasant experience, but disappointing considering the talent involved and the premise falling back on formula and lazy joke-writing too often. Arsenio Hall gets to play a handful of additional characters of his own, including a different barber and a noisy, sleazy reverend. Samuel L. Jackson has a small role as an armed robber, and Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy cameo as their characters from the previous John Landis-Eddie Murphy movie, Trading Places; look for Cuba Gooding Jr. in his film debut as a barbershop patron.

50/100