Un prince à New York

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

Such a well aged classic that is still as funny as it was, probably more than what I first watched it. Murphy is just a magician in this movie and so well supported by the rest of the cast.

"Coming to America" is one of these films that best exemplifies the 80's exuberance and unique appeal, it's raunchy and outrageous on the surface but sweet and good-hearted inside. And the film carries such a tender naivety in its portrayal of the fictional country of Zamunda and Royal Family's lifestyle that it makes today's films depressingly cynical in their desperate attempt to copy reality by any means or feature likable losers making their bones on redeeming bitches.

Yes, a country like Zamunda is very improbable but that makes the beginning of the film so fascinating. That Prince Akeem, waking up on his 21st birthday, would be treated with such an exaggerated devotion echoes one of Cinema's greatest values: escapism and dream. It doesn't work in every case but here it does and for a simple reason: the "Coming to America" plot line perfectly contrasts with the "Coming from Zamunda"set-up, Zamunda had to be in a total opposition with New York for the film's own comedic purposes. It doesn't avoid some clichés like the passing of zebras and elephants to show that the film is set in the African continent, yet it's one of these moments we remember the most from the film just before, as the trailer says, the fairy tale stops as soon as the first shot of New York City appears.

"Coming to America", directed by John Landis and starring Eddie Murphy, is in the same vein than their previous work in "Trading Places", a movie that I compared to Frank Capra's classics. Only this time, it's not a wags to riches story but quite the opposite, it's a Cinderella story told in reverse since it's the Prince Akeem who comes to America to marry a woman, and as he explains to his friend Semmi (Aresnio Hall) : "I want a woman who will arouse my intellect as well as my loins". This premise leads to a succession of situations so funny that you almost forget about the romantic purpose of Prince Akeem's trip and the presence of Arsenio Hall as the second lead of the film is responsible of that as he literally outshines all the other cast members and creates the perfect comic-straight man duo that this kind of stories need. Semi's priceless look from the window when Akeem shouts: "Life. Real life! A thing that we have been denied for far too long!" is the perfect counterpart to Akeem's naive enthusiasm as he joyfully gives the F-word back to an angry neighbor.

After they find a place to live and a job, the whole New York's discovery part is a tribute to the actors' extraordinary talent to portray different characters from chatting barbers to drags, from singers to pervert reverends, they both nail their roles and we, as viewers, are invited to spot them every once in a while. Eddie Murphy is top notch as the old Jewish man in the barbershop, such an uncanny impression that I admit it fooled me the first time I saw it. The beauty of "Coming to Africa" is that it features two levels of true appreciation, one on the story and another through a series of sketch-like vignettes demonstrating two sides of the actors' talent, without overdoing them. In a way, "Coming to America" prefigures the appeal of Eddie Murphy's "Nutty Professor" and his wonderful talent as a comedian when given a good role, and Prince Akeem is one of his best. But to attribute the success of the film only on Eddie Murphy's talent would be untrue, and even more unfair.

Another force of the film relies on the whole casting, starting with the perfect couple that could have ever played Akeem's parents: James Earl Jones as the authoritarian King Jaffe Joffe and Madge Sinclair as the most comprehensive mother but no less Queen Aoloan, both who'd team up later to play much ore memorable royal couple in a certain Disney film set in Africa. Both Jones and Sinclair possess a majestic and absolutely irresistible aura, and the powerful image of King Jaffe Joffe inspires an ominous sensation beautifully conveyed by the music that accompanies his own entrance in New York. The rest of the cast include another veteran actor, John Amos, as the McDowell restaurant chain owner, Shari Hadley as his beautiful daughter, Eriq La Salle as her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend, Samuel L. Jackson in his typical scene-stealing 80's supporting roles and it also features briefs but heart-warming cameos of Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy as … you know, and if you don't, well, make a guess.

As a comedy and romance (not a romantic comedy, mind you) the film is not without some predictable situations, but it delivers what is expected, it's funny, it has a happy ending, and most of hits scenes can be watched regardless of their context. It's a great movie to watch and re-watch and its classical status can't be denied, since 24 years later after its release, the image of Murphy as the Old Jewish man, Arsenio Hall as a woman, the McDowell's logo and the unforgettable 'Soul Glo' will forever be associated with the 80's, a decade where movies were made just for fun and only for fun.

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!!!"

...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.