This summer, Prince Akeem discovers America.
An African prince decides it’s time for him to find a princess... and his mission leads him and his most loyal friend to Queens, New York. In disguise as an impoverished immigrant, the pampered prince quickly finds himself a new job, new friends, new digs, new enemies and lots of trouble.
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Character
Comic, warm, effortless and classical in form.
- gravecomic
- warmbleak
- effortlessdemanding
- classical in formformally daring
- resolvedopen-ended
Who loves it, who doesn't
24 profiled raters. Loved most by The Ironists; disliked most by The Prestige Hunters.
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“Is Coming to America better than The Blues Brothers?”
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“Is Eddie Murphy the best thing in Coming to America?”
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“Would Coming to America hit harder if it came out today rather than in 1988?”
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A yes-or-no question, answered from what people wrote here, on TMDB and on Wikipedia. Never made up.
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- Wuchakon TMDB · Mar 202110/10
_**My all-time favorite comedy**_ In "Coming to America" (1988) Eddie Murphy plays the likable prince of a rich African kingdom, Akeem. He comes to Queens to find his future queen accompanied by his best friend & servant, Semmi, played by Arsenio Hall. He understandably wants a wife who will love him for who he is and not for his great riches. So they get hired at McDowell's, a McDonald's knock-off, where he meets the shining daughter of the owner (Shari Headley). Is she the one? Will she find a fast-food mop boy appealing enough to marry? As noted in my title blurb, "Coming to America" is my all-time favorite comedy. Why? Simply because it's a laugh-riot from beginning to end. The first time I saw it was on TV in 2000 and I couldn't stop laughing; I saw it again last night (after purchasing it) and it had the same effect. Everything works here -- the characters, the jokes, the story -- to make "Coming to America" one of the greatest comedies ever made. GRADE: A+
Read the whole review on TMDB - r96skon TMDB · Mar 20217/10
I didn't enjoy it as much as expected, but <em>'Coming to America'</em> is nevertheless still good. Eddie Murphy is unsurprisingly the star of the film. Any notable scenes include him, which isn't a shock given the obvious and the fact he plays a number of characters; on that note, only Akeem amused me - the barber shop guys... not so much, to be honest. James Earl Jones (Jaffe), John Amos (Cleo) and Frankie Faison (landlord) are the most noteworthy in terms of those away from the lead, while there is even an appearance from someone named Samuel L. Jackson - what ever happened to that guy?! I wanted/anticipated much stronger humour, if only due to Murphy's presence. I can't say I laughed that much, which is disappointing. The romance parts are probably more memorable to me, even if it's kinda familiar in those regards. With all that said, I can see why loads thoroughly enjoy this - it just didn't fully land on me, personally. Still worth viewing and I'm very much up to see the sequel.
Read the whole review on TMDB - Kamuraion TMDB · Mar 20217/10
Really good watch, would watch again, and can recommend. A very good approach to a "Pauper and Prince" trope mix with a culture shock trope. The excellent cast involved really takes it a long way with good writing to help it along. It's admittedly not a very original story structure, so while it is not all that refreshingly unpredictable, but it's good to see a foreign royalty in an American setting, and an African one at that. I do think this is consistently funny and has maintained over 30 years, so definitely check this out if you haven't.
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Cast
- Eddie MurphyPrince Akeem / Clarence / Randy Watson / Saul
- Arsenio HallSemmi / Extremely Ugly Girl / Morris / Reverend Brown
- Shari HeadleyLisa McDowell
- John AmosCleo McDowell
- James Earl JonesKing Jaffe Joffer
- Madge SinclairQueen Aoleon
- Eriq La SalleDarryl Jenks
- Allison DeanPatrice McDowell
- Frankie FaisonLandlord
- Louie AndersonMaurice
Crew
- John LandisDirector
- David SheffieldScreenplay
- Barry W. BlausteinScreenplay
- Sol NegrinDirector of Photography
- Woody OmensDirector of Photography
- Nile RodgersOriginal Music Composer
- Malcolm CampbellEditor
- George Folsey Jr.Editor
- George Folsey Jr.Producer
- Robert D. WachsProducer
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