Coming to America (1988)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

John Landis

Writers (WGA):

Eddie Murphy (story)
David Sheffield (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

29 June 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

This summer, Prince Akeem discovers America.

Plot:

An African prince goes to Queens, New York City to find a wife whom he can respect for her intelligence and will.

Plot Keywords:

Prince | Queens New York | Love | America | Cult Favorite

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins

Cast

Eddie Murphy	...	Prince Akeem / Clarence / Randy Watson / Saul
Arsenio Hall	...	Semmi / Extremely Ugly Girl / Morris / Reverend Brown
James Earl Jones	...	King Jaffe Joffer
John Amos	...	Cleo McDowell
Madge Sinclair	...	Queen Aoleon
Shari Headley	...	Lisa McDowell
Paul Bates	...	Oha
Eriq La Salle	...	Darryl Jenks
Frankie Faison	...	Landlord
Vanessa Bell Calloway	...	Imani Izzi (as Vanessa Bell)
Louie Anderson	...	Maurice
Allison Dean	...	Patrice McDowell
Sheila Johnson	...	Lady-in-Waiting
Jake Steinfeld	...	Cab Driver
Calvin Lockhart	...	Colonel Izzi

Also Known As:

Prince in New York (Europe: English title) (video title)

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:PG (TV rating) (cut) | South Korea:15 | West Germany:12 (f) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Norway:11 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Big Sky Ranch - 4927 Bennett Road, Simi Valley, California, USA

Company:

Eddie Murphy Productions

Trivia:

CAMEO: Michael Tadross (Unit Production Manager) - Taxi Driver

Goofs:

Continuity: The position of the microphone lying on the stage after Randy Watson drops it.

Quotes:

Semmi: Now let's see if you can defend yourself, you sweat from a baboon's balls.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "HBO First Look: The Making of 'Dr. Dolittle 2' (#8.7)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

The Greatest Love Of All

Another Great Comedy Starring Eddie Murphy

After several years of starring in rowdy action comedies and con man capers, Eddie Murphy gets a chance to deliver a more restrained performance with this film and he manages to do so very well. Murphy portrays Akeem, an African prince who is being pressured into a forced marriage by his parents (James Earl Jones, Madge Sinclair). The woman that they have chosen for him only sees him for his royalty and therefore does not really love him. Akeem sees this right away and brings his loyal servant, Semi (Arsenio Hall) along with him on a discreet mission to America where Akeem hopes to find a beautiful woman who will love him and accept him for who he really is and not just see him for his royalty. Posing as "common folk", Akeem and Semi get jobs at a McDonald's style restaurant and Akeem soon falls for the daughter (Shari Headley) of the restaurant's owner (John Amos). The film features many hilarious scenes and characters especially a group of boxing obsessed senior citizens who spend their days arguing with a barber shop owner. Murphy and Hall demonstrate their levels of versatility by managing to go under heavy makeup and portray several different costarring roles. Yet another example of why Murphy is one of the funniest actors in recent Hollywood history.