Review : Coming 2 America (2021)
At one point in time, there was no bigger movie star than Eddie Murphy. With a string of successful standup films under his belt, as well as starring roles in both the Beverly Hills Cop and 48 Hrs. franchises, the rising star stepped further into the spotlight with films like Harlem Nights, Boomerang, and perhaps his most iconic film, the instant classic that was Coming to America. As the mid-1990′s arrived, however, the film successes became fewer and further between, but after 2019′s Dolemite Is My Name found him success with a new generation (and rediscovered success with old fans), the door of possibilities was left open, which ultimately brought us Coming 2 America.
On Prince Akeem Joffer (Eddie Murphy) and Princess Lisa Joffer’s (Shari Headley) 30th wedding anniversary, a day that should be centered around celebration, Akeem finds himself at a crossroads between his past and future. Initially, General Izzi (Wesley Snipes) of Nextodoria accosts Akeem in hopes of persuading him to offer one of his daughters as bride to his son Idi Izzi (Rotimi), which Akeem declines. Later that day, as King Jaffe Joffer (James Earl Jones) beckons Akeem to his bedside to inform him that his time spent in Queens with Semmi (Arsenio Hall), Akeem’s confidant and royal aide, resulted in the birth of an illegitimate child. After King Jaffe Joffer passes away, passing the mantle of King down the line, Akeem decides to return to Queens to find Mary Junson (Leslie Jones) and confirm whether or not Lavelle Junson (Jermaine Fowler) is his son and the rightful heir to the throne of Zamunda.
While one would assume that Coming 2 America would have ties to its predecessor, I definitely had my reservations as to how well the film could fall in line with such a monumental classic as the bar-setter. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised with how well that Coming 2 America was not only able to touch upon many, many aspects of the original film, but also find a way to stand on its own two feet. A number of characters we came to know and love from Coming to America return to the fold as funny as ever, and Arsenio Hall even steps in to provide a new classic character in the form of Baba. With almost 35 years passed since Coming to America, it also makes since that elements such as the gentrification of Queens and the Americanization of Africa would play a key role in the development of the film’s world.
The way that many of the original beats from Coming to America are flipped between the American and African counterparts works well for sequel fodder, seemingly even more so than it normally does in other films. Switching Queens to Zamunda, Akeem to Lavelle, Lisa to Mirembe and so forth follows the comedy callback rule on a narrative level, while certain jokes are either continued or reshaped to mine new laughs out of old ground. Flipping the location also brings in new aspects of the tradition versus morals storyline, even with its overall familiarity. The way that class and cultural clashes are presented from the Zamundan side of things (rather than the Queens side) brings a grandness to the story not present in the first film. Overall, there is just the right amount of narrative mirroring present (with a bit of aid from the time passed between films) to make the film interesting on its own terms and absent of the feeling that too much old ground is being revisited.
The comedy, while different than that of the original film, definitely holds up in its connectivity as sequel, making the film a welcome addition to a newly founded series. Placing the film in Africa gives the film a new look, making it distinct from the very 1980′s-heavy New York setting in which the original film took place. Music is a major factor within the film, with in-story performance of popular songs especially standing out as moments of high entertainment. The inclusion of footage from the original film helps give newcomers to the story reference, while serving as emotional lifts for older fans of the franchise. The costuming has evolved along with the times, bringing even more of a grandiose feeling to the royal element, while the iconic makeup transformations continue to suspend disbelief and sell the multiple characters that Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall play.
Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall and James Earl Jones all fall right back into the roles they inhabited so well many years ago (even the auxiliary ones that filled out he world), while managing to present the natural growth and adaptation that would come with the progression of time. Shari Headley, John Amos, Paul Bates and Louie Anderson also step in to serve the purposes of nostalgia. Jermaine Fowler does a good job of stepping into the role that Murphy previously inhabited, but this time he is able to let his American perspective fuel his fish out of water role in Zamunda. Leslie Jones does what she does best, dropping comedy gems in both her delivery and physical presence. On the Joffer side of things, Kiki Layne, Bella Murphy and Akiley Love bring a youthful royal presence. Wesley Snipes appears to be having the time of his life in his role as antagonist, with Rotimi and Teyana Taylor hilariously following suit. Appearances by Tracy Morgan, Rick Ross, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Nomzamo Mbatha, Garcelle Beauvais, Colen Jost, Trever Noah, Clint Smith and Luenell, as well as cameos by Morgan Freeman, En Vogue, Salt-N-Pepa, Davido, Gladys Knight and Dikembe Mutombo fill out the stellar cast.
Based on some of the immediate feedback from those who saw the film immediately upon release, as well as some press buzz centering around some of Eddie Murphy’s casting regrets, I was honestly prepared to be slightly let down. Luckily, I didn’t watch any trailers prior to release, and I stayed away from articles and think pieces connected to the film, and with that lack of expectations set, I found Coming 2 America to be very enjoyable. I wouldn’t recommend that they go the route of a trilogy, but I’m happy that they were able to pull off a successful sequel.