Film: Coming 2 America

 

GENRE: Comedy
RATING: PG-13 for sexual content, language and drug content
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 50 minutes
PLATFORM: Amazon Prime
STARRING: Eddie Murphy (Nutty Professor, Shrek, Beverly Hills Cop)
Arsenio Hall (Coming to America); Jermaine Fowler (Sorry to Bother You)
DIRECTOR: Craig Brewer (Dolemite Is My Name, Hustle & Flow)
WRITERS: Barry Blaustein & David Sheffield (Coming to America),
Kenya Barris (Black-ish)
PLOT: Prince Akeem finds out he has a son in New York that he must bring home to become the heir to the throne.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I love the original; it’s my favourite Murphy film.   

STORY STUFF: I surprisingly found myself enjoying the plot of this sequel. Sure, there are a number of odd things that are shoe-horned in for nostalgic reasons but I was okay with that. I loved revisiting some of the great characters from the original. The plot could use some trimming as the son storyline takes a little long. I want more of Murphy, less of Fowler. Overall, I would say the story was pretty decent. Definitely not as funny as the original though.

ACTING STUFF: I love that the whole cast came back for this. Murphy and Hall age well. I still get a kick out of their barber characters, even Murphy in white face. All the supporting characters also get a chance to relive their glory years. For new characters, I loved Colin Jost’s casting. Fowler is pretty good as the heir apparent. I was disappointed with SNL alums Leslie Jones and Tracey Morgan. I wanted to like them more but found their roles too over the top. However, speaking of over the top, Wesley Snipes (Blade, Demolition Man) kills it as General Izzi. The dance in his step as he makes his entrances are fantastic. You can tell he was having a lot of fun. In fact, you could tell that the entire cast enjoyed putting this film together. It’s nice to see (especially when hearing about toxic sets lately).   

ARTISTIC STUFF: The make-up and costumes are incredible. Costumes are designed by Ruth E Carter who also did Black Panther. Another phenomenal job. Murphy and Hall’s make-up as multiple characters continues to shine as well. The sets and choreography are also top notch. Great production value all around.

VERDICT: Four stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You enjoyed the original. Otherwise, it won’t be as fun.  
UPCOMING REVIEW: The Last Blockbuster