Der Prinz aus Zamunda

In Germany the movie is called Prince from Zamunda (and the sequel just got a 2 added to the title). And that Prince being played by none other than Eddie Murphy. Back when I was little when I watched Eddie Murphy movies, I always saw them dubbed in German. He has quite the high pitched voice, which may or may not have certain ... meaning, but let's not delve into what they were doing back in the day and how this can be viewed nowadays.

I've never been to New York, but like the Prince it is a dream of mine. He did realize that dream - and probably had a similar stay as I would have! Me because I wouldn't have any money, he because he wanted to get away from all the privileges and see what "real life" is like. Which also includes working and bathing himself (a joke that is quite sexual and has the nudity that was one of the factors that led to the R rating).

Arsenio Hall and Eddie Murphy both play many roles in this and have quite some fun (even in drag, which gets sort of reprised in the sequel for an inciting incident). Generally speaking there are quite a lot of good people here - and knowing that Wesley Snipes almost got the role of Eddies nemesis in this movie is more than funny. It worked out for everybody though.

The movie is not entirely PC, but Eddies character really going out of his way to empower women and what their role in society/Zamunda. The opening shot looked like a matte painting and then we get dragged into the palace with quite a skillful shot ... John Landis as you know and expect from him.

A nice throwback to the 80s (hairstyles and such), although some parts of New York probably still look like this. There are other people who are better judges on that. Good comedy, if you are not too easily offended

...and I loved it. Had to refresh my memory before I see C2A. It's nuts how many familiar-now names were in that one; Cuba Gooding Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Louie Anderson, John Amos, etc. For a 1988 movie, it was excellent. Hoping part 2 is as good if not better.

Eddie Murphy is the Prince of Zamunda, he is very wealthy and very pampered. When he refuses to marry the bride his father has arranged for him, he goes to Queens to find his queen. With his closest companion (Arsenio Hall) they try to blend in with the everyday people of New York, taking jobs as cleaners in a local burger bar.

The entire film is packed with slick gags, hilarious characters and delightful parody. Coming to American is a romantic comedy that entertains you again and again, and Eddie Murphy is on top form throughout.

Recommended 7/10

I once used to be a fan of Eddie Murphy and his movies, but in recent years the only one of "his" movies that I loved was 'Shrek'. He's excellent as the voice of Donkey, but the rest of his movies aren't exactly the best examples of fine humor (think of movies like 'The Nutty Professor'). It's a good thing that from time to time you can still see one of his older ones on the television, so you won't forget that the man really has some talent.

In this movie Eddie Murphy plays, most of the time, the role of Prince Akeem of Zamunda. On his 21st birthday he'll have to marry a woman he has never seen before. Because he isn't too happy with that and because he wants a wife that can do more than doing exactly what he tells her to do (like for instance barking like a dog), he decides to go to America to find the love of his life. The only problem is that the girl shouldn't love him for his title and his money, but for his personality. At first all he gets is a big culture shock, but eventually he'll find a girl he really likes...

This movie is really one of the funniest Eddie Murphy has ever made. It has a good story and offers plenty of laughs, but this isn't a comedy full of toilet humor and may therefor seem dated to the youngest viewers (let's say those who were born in the nineties). Personally I really appreciated the fact that not all humor was about farting, vomiting and other bodily functions, but perhaps that's just me, perhaps I'm just getting too old to understand today's humor (almost 27 right now).

There are some excellent parts in the movie (I really love those old men at the barber shop for instance) and overall the quality is high enough to enjoy the entire movie. That's why I give it a 7.5/10.

COMING TO AMERICA (1988) *** Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, Madge Sinclair, Shari Headley, John Amos, Eriq La Salle, Louie Anderson. Murphy does a fine job as an African prince unhappy about his upcoming nuptials to a woman he has never met so he sets off to New York to find his true love (and queen) with some sweet moments as well as comic (thanks largely to his and Hall's neat hat trick of playing several different characters thanks to the miracle of Rick Baker's make up). Look sharply for Vondie Curtis Hall (of tv's "Chicago Hope") as an overly welcoming fellow native stateside; Cuba Gooding Jr. in a blink-and-you'll miss cameo (getting a haircut) and the clever inserting of Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy as the Randolph Brothers from Murphy's and director John Landis' previous joint effort "Trading Places". Best bit: Murphy becoming a real New Yorker and greeting a screaming abusive neighbor with "Yes! Yes! ... and F**K YOU TOO!!!"