Movie Plot – Coming to America: An extremely spoiled African prince travels to Queens, New York, and goes undercover to find a woman he can respect for her intelligence and strong will.
Director: John Landis
Writers: Eddie Murphy, David Sheffield, Barry W. Blaustein
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Paul Bates, Garcelle Beauvais, James Earl Jones
Prince Akeem
Akeem is the crown prince of Zamunda, a kingdom in Africa. So it’s not a wonder that Akeem has grown up in unprecedented luxury with servants for everything he could wish for. He doesn’t even have to tie his shoes. When he is introduced to his bride at the age of 21, he knows after a brief conversation that she is not the one.
That’s where he asks his father for permission to go to America to look for a bride. Arriving in America, the stone-rich prince along with his servant Semmi adopt a poor lifestyle. This is because Akeem wants to find a woman who will fall for him because of his personality and not because of his money.
While he might be rich, he feels like a very innocent, unknowing person who is actually okay with less luxury. You can feel the excitement for something new and taking care of yourself. He is even happy with a very terrible job that every one of us would hate.
Coming to America
Delightful feel-good comedy. Sure, it’s all clichéd, but Coming to America really has an awful lot of heart and soul, and the humor is successful almost the entire time. That first half hour in the kingdom of Zamunda, with all those customs where Akeem is coddled to the point of absurdity, is really fantastic. However, the part where Akeem and his servant only arrive in America is also great. It’s true that the second hour, when the focus shifts fiercely to the love story, is a bit less than the first half, but great moments continue to come until the end.
On top of that, what makes this film so good is the cast. Right down to the smallest supporting characters (those constantly bickering old men in the barber store, for example), Coming to America is packed with charming and cool characters. Eddie Murphy is terrific in his role or you could say “roles”. His enormous enthusiasm gives a lot of energy to the film. But his servant, played by Arsenio Hall, is also comically very strong. Strange that he hasn’t starred in more films. James Earl Jones, especially in the beginning, is also very funny.
Conclusion
Coming To America is a guaranteed comedy classic that can be seen as one of the absolute highlights of the careers of Eddie Murphy and director John Landis. The film is well put together and everything is just right. Every role is filled out perfectly.
