Let’s party like it’s 1989. Literally. Much in the way that Bill & Ted Face the Music arrived thanks to Keanu Reeves and his cultural upswing, the sequel to the classic film Coming to America comes on the heels of Eddie Murphy’s triumphant return in his recent roles. The feel-good vibes of the first film permeate Murphy’s return as Prince Akeem. His beaming smile rejoins Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, Shari Headley, and the McDonald’s knockoff McDowell’s while new faces also enter the fold. Taking place thirty years after Prince Akeem and his advisor Semmi (Hall) first traveled to New York to find a bride for Prince Akeem, he and Lisa (Headley) now have three warrior daughters, and for some time, they’ve lived out a “happily ever after” ending. But Akeem’s father, King Jaffe (James Earl Jones) is dying now, and he fears Akeem may be too weak of a leader to ascend to the throne. With no grandson to rule in the future, the royal line hangs precariously low due to the lack of new laws.
Nevertheless, there is hope: during a drug-addled night 30 years ago in Queens, before he met Lisa, Akeem hooked up with a (now-former) prostitute named Mary (Leslie Jones) and unwittingly fathered a child with her. Now the king, Akeem must venture back to America with Semmi so they can retrieve his son Lavelle (Jermaine Fowler) and save their kingdom, Zamunda, from being attacked by the too-stupid-to-be-evil General Izzi (Wesley Snipes) and his military state Nextdoria. Craig Brewer, who previously directed Murphy in several films, takes this and fashions Coming 2 America (which has an amazing title, somehow) into a narratively thin and rather silly nostalgia trip that leaves viewers wanting a lot more than they got. The script rarely creates laugh-out-loud moments – except or one. In a film that mostly leans on random cameos over tightly crafted jokes, a strategy that quickly overstays its welcome, King Jaffe’s funeral scene hits on every level. Ruth E. Carter’s regal Afrofuturistic costume design is wonderful. The callbacks to the first film absolutely hit. Murphy and Hall rekindle their onscreen friendship. Throwback 1980s artists Salt-N-Pepa perform “Whatta Man,” a song which I unfortunately only know because of Parks & Rec. An outlandish guest appearance from Morgan Freeman is hilarious. And King Joffe’s last words are a touching scene that unapologetically pulls at the heartstrings.
Unfortunately, the later beats struggle to hit the same highs. As with Coming to America, Murphy and Hall play additional characters while disguised with heavy prosthetics, makeup, and fat suits. They include the roast-session barbershop employees, the fraudulent preacher Reverend Brown, and Murphy’s old SNL character Randy Watson, with a new addition to the cadre: Hall as the grotesque witch doctor Baba. Baba is simply a plot device who tells Akeem he has a “bastard son” living in Queens, and a massive miss. As opposed to the other impersonations, which seemed to lampoon the stereotypes of Queens’ Black community in jest, Baba doesn’t share the same lovable origins. A gross other whose sole punchline is coughing, he’s a cheap character, and his price tag often shows. Snipes’ performance as General Izzi seems to be nothing more than a contest of who can be stupider with their (and I am using this term VERY lightly) “humor” – him or Murphy – and he only exists to rip off Kilmonger, Joseph Kony, and several African dictators in his war-ridden state. The subject of cultural differences between African nations might seem like a good premise, but it feels more like a missed opportunity to connect a light-hearted story with tangible historical roots.
The best addition to the cast are Jermaine Fowler and Leslie Jones. As Lavelle, Fowler is a hit – the trials he faces in passing a set of princely tests, or the love affair that develops between Lavelle and his royal groomer Mirembe (Nomzamo Mbatha) show his acting range well. The comedy is in fact strongest when Lavelle is first shown, as he and Akeem bond well despite their cultural differences. And while the film’s entire premise is based on Mary literally raping Akeem, Jones does her best with what she’s given, and her Afrofuturist dresses in the second half look beautiful. A story focusing more on Fowler and Jones’ characters adjusting to life in Zamunda would have been better than what we got. The chemistry they share with Murphy and the rest of the cast, alongside lackluster acting from Murphy and accomplished performers like Wesley Snipes, really carries a lot of the others’ scenes and makes this movie slightly better. An additionally welcome addition is Kiki Layne as Akeem’s oldest daughter Meeka, who aspires to be queen but is ineligible due to the patrilineal law in Zamunda. Not only does her combat training from The Old Guard appear whenever she wields a weapon, but the vulnerability she set forth in performances like If Beale Street Could Talk translates well here.
In every sense, this is a silly movie, but it sharply charts the ways we assume our parents’ worst qualities as we age. The once-independent prince who traveled to America for love in spite of his father’s protests has grown up to be institutionally conservative, routinely bowing to Zamunda’s sexist laws, and disappointing both Meeka and his wife Lisa (who thankfully has so much more personality in this movie than in the original Coming to America). A mature Murphy, in some ways, makes the audience feel as though Akeem’s soul-searching mirrors Murphy’s. That sentiment probably stems from our familiarity with his career. We’ve seen Murphy rise from a young comedian with a childish, uproarious wit into a venerated performer and actor. We know the highs and lows of his career at the box office. We know he’s back, and we know he seems especially happy here. And while this suffers from the “comedy sequel curse” of being worse and less funny than its predecessor, it at least has some heartwarming moments to create a relatable story.
Coming 2 America could have easily been a disaster, and viewers who expect it’ll score the same laughs as its predecessor will probably be disappointed. But approaching this as a family reunion is more rewarding – people who loved the original will likely find their affection for these well-known characters returning. It’s familiar and fine, and an emotionally good story. And that’s enough for the return to Zamunda.
2.5/5 STARS