Coming 2 America (2021) Review

So after over 30 years the sequel to Coming to America has come out on Amazon Prime and here is my review for Coming 2 America. The premise of the film sees Akeem have to travel back to America to find his long lost son and build a relationship with him so can can become his heir. 

Main Character 

Eddie Murphy is back as Akeem and I think he is just okay here. You can't get away from the fact that he is Eddie Murphy and he has a bit of that charm still there and by the end of the film you get back to kind of liking Akeem. But I really felt like he sleepwalked his way through this film, he isn't very funny at all and maybe Murphy's long break from acting came into play here. It also doesn't help that Akeem is made to be pretty unlikeable here, it is for the convenience of the film but it just doesn't feel right and it turns you off from him completely. 

Supporting Characters

Onto the best part of the film and that is Wesley Snipes, this guy is clearly giving his all and is actually the one that felt like he was having some real fun with his role as the opposing general. I know the reports that he can be a bit tough to work with but when he is like this he is somebody that is a great asset for any film and I am still holding out hope he can have a role in Marvel's new Blade film. Arsenio Hall is back as Semmi, and he is good, I mean that man hasn't aged a day in 30 years and seems to enjoy his rare outing on the big screen by giving a decent performance. Shari Headley, James Earl Jones and John Amos are back in smaller roles and they are all decent in their roles, even if I wish there was more of them. But it is most of the new cast that I didn't like, Jermaine Fowler plays Akeem's son and I really didn't care about him, he just comes across as a really arrogant person and for me never really becomes likeable and I never really cared about his relationship with Akeem which is meant to be the main part of the film. Also I like Leslie Jones and Tracey Morgan but I didn't like them in this film and they just came across as more annoying then funny. 

Story 

The story is really poor here, most of the characters are more unlikeable here. As I said the connection between Akeem and his son didn't work for me and the dynamic between the characters never grew and I never found myself caring. The film also kind of goes against the original film, the characters haven't developed anywhere near enough despite it being 30 years. 

Script 

Now for a comedy, the main thing I require is to laugh and I think I laughed a total of twice here, one time right at the end and during the end credits. The film is just not funny, it feels forced and poorly written with the drama not fairing much better. It isn't a film with really any twists and turns and that worked for the original film because it had charm and was funny but this film has none of those qualities. 

Style 

Now one of the things that I liked in this film is that it spends more time in Africa and it added something different to the film in a positive way, with a nice change in scenery. But like its predecessor, the film is too long and its pacing is pretty poor a lacklustre script not helping. 

Overall

Overall, this is a poor comedy. It is just a sequel that should never have happened and is one that will hopefully be long forgotten. Even if you are a fan of the original film give this one a miss so that film can stay fond in your mind. 

Rating - 3/10

Coming to America (1988) Review

With the long anticipated sequel Coming 2 America coming to Amazon Prime tomorrow, I thought it was time to go back and watch the original film and I did that today and here is my review for Coming to America. The premise of the film sees a pampered prince head to America in an attempt to find a bride that he can truly love. 

Main Character 

Eddie Murphy is a huge name in comedy and this film had his fingerprints all over it and he is fantastic. Prince Akeem is such a charming and charismatic person that it is hard not too root for him in this film and want to see him succeed. His character actually has some depth to him and it is interesting the way they handle him wanting to go to America and it sees him really grow as a person and Murphy is obviously funny and charming himself as he does that. 

Supporting Characters

Arsenio Hall plays his trusted advisor Semmi and I thought he was great also. These two just have such a great dynamic together and really bounce off of each other well, really it feels like a buddy comedy with these two funny guys who are having a good time together. Shari Headley plays Lisa and as the film progresses you see the dynamic between her and Akeem progress well and again they have good chemistry together and are a nice duo together that you are rooting for. James Earl Jones and John Amos play roles here as respective fathers of Akeem and Lisa and they are both really good, it's no surprise but they are delightful to watch here. Also there is a cameo from a now huge actor, if you don't know who then I won't spoil it but it had me laughing out loud. 

Story 

The film has a nice and funny story, it is funny seeing Akeem & Semmi travel from Africa to America and just the different cultural shifts and the way they take things in stride is very funny and charming to see. Also the whole romance aspect is nice enough and you do end up rooting for the two protagonists, but it just feels a bit safe. No spoilers but this is a film that doesn't take too many risks and that isn't the biggest issue in the world but it doesn't throw many curveballs and it just feels very similar to plenty of other films from this time period and since. 

Script

The script is very good, the main job of a comedy is to make you laugh and I definitely laughed, maybe not hysterically but I laughed quite a bit here so it did that well. Also as I said the romance aspect is well handled and it is sweet and feels deserved. 

Style  

The film has plenty of very funny jokes, it even pushes a few envelopes at times without feeling too much and that can be a difficult skill to master. But I think this film does have a bit of a pacing issue, it is 2 hours long and I am just not sure it had to be so long, I think like 10 mins could have been cut from the 2nd act and it would be much better and moved in a nicer flow. 

Overall

Overall, this is a great comedy and one that will make you laugh. If you like fun comedies with a sweet romance angle then give Coming to America a go and hopefully the sequel is at least of a similar ability. 

Rating - 8/10