Asked to review a romantic movie for Valentine’s Day, I chose Coming to America. I am not sure I know how to review it, though. It is shock full of fantastic lines, situations, symbolism and highly effective comedy – so full, in fact, that the love story almost keeps getting eclipsed by the wild and clever shenanigans of Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall. But maybe that’s just my memory playing tricks on me. What I usually remember from this movie are the gags; the wealth of funny details and dialogue. I don’t really think of it that much as a love story. However, in actual fact (now that I am rewatching the movie), the heart of the plot is a very romantic one, and the movie revolves around it with perfect concentration: An African prince is to be married, but having had a modern education (coupled with a rather traditional upbringing) he is not satisfied with an arranged marriage. He rejects the physically perfect but ditzy bride – complete with huge… tracts of land – procured for him by his parents, insisting that he can only marry a woman with a brain! Travelling to America to find a bride, prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) and his trusty man-servant Semmi (Arsenio Hall) ignorantly decide that the dirt-poor New York district of Queens must be the perfect place to find the prince’s queen-to-be. The grand irony being that indeed it is.
They arrive in winter time, when the misery and urban decay can be seen in the sharpest of reliefs. Masquerading as common people, Akeem and Semmi eventually find jobs at the McDowell’s burger chain, the local competitor to McDonald’s. The proprietor’s independent daughter Lisa turns out to be just what Akeem has been looking for. But winning her will not be that easy.
With Coming to America, director John Landis managed to create an ‘80s classic in much the same socially conscious vein as his previous (and superior – but only just) effort Trading Places (1983). Both movies are essentially class dramas, based on highlighting the social conditions of people of every class, from the poorest to the richest. Coming to America is also a Cinderella story (seen from Prince Charming’s point of view) filled with fabulous and exotic characters, as well as epic and edgy comedy that just works and keeps on working. I can’t even begin to mention all the cool details; this is a movie so stuffed with substance that one could easily write a book about it. Instead I will comment on a couple of the actors.
Eddie Murphy was on fire in the first decade or so of his career. And as much as his “Saturday Night Live” performances deserve praise, I think we are also very privileged to have had several great movies from him during his charismatic peak. To be specific, we have had Trading Places (1983), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Coming to America (1988) and The Distinguished Gentleman (1992), all of which I rate a 10 out of 10. His later career, in terms of quality comedy, has only sputtered along on rusty cylinders, with, in this reviewer’s opinion, only 2003’s Daddy Day Care as a relatively noteworthy effort, the rest having bombed rather thunderously in terms of good taste. But his four masterworks will undoubtedly remain gemstones to posterity’s audiences.
Arsenio Hall is a radio and TV comedian whose only dramatic work prior to Coming to America was voicing Winston Zeddemore on the not-so-aptly-named “The Real Ghost Busters” animated TV show. Apart from a stint as Sammo Hung’s sidekick on the action/crime show “Martial Law” (1998-2000), Hall has only had bit parts in other movies and shows, opting rather to follow his comedian’s vocation on talk shows. It is something of a loss to cinema, because he is absolutely perfect as Semmi the man-servant. His performance is top-notch in every way, totally cashing in on his great chemistry with Eddie Murphy, so that the movie becomes a true team vehicle rather than just spotlighting Murphy. A shame that anther Arsenio Hall fix of this caliber is just not available.
John Amos plays mr. McDowell, Lisa’s father. His burger emporium, McDowell’s, is totally ripping off McDonald’s’ business concept, demonstrating that mr. McDowell is a man who has no qualms about playing it dirty in order to get ahead. In fact, he lacks a lot of basic moral fibre, and is the perfect American capitalist, obsessed with the bottom line, and treating his employees like crap. To make money, everything is allowed, no matter how petty. Coming from poor beginnings, he has become a nouveau riche but has retained many of his lower-class manners and attitudes. His encounters with prince Akeem’s royal parents are awkward, to say the least! Amos’ performance gains added comedic significance when you are aware that the actor has actually (coincidentally) worked as a McDonald’s manager early in his career, as the DVD extra material reveals.
Shari Headley as Lisa is a good thinking (as well as good-looking) girl, but I do think she lacks a bit of the ol’ star quality. The movie studio wanted to cast the stunning-looking Vanessa Williams, but the producers opted for the “more vulnerable” Headley. Her character strikes me as a bit boring, but maybe this is for the best; had she stolen more of the limelight, perhaps the movie’s focus on Akeem and Semmi would have suffered. Also, what she lacks in charisma is made up for by her sister Patrice’s character, impressively realized by Allison Dean in a debut performance.
My DVD version is a recent Scandinavian 2-disc release called the Royal Edition. While it has no commentary track, it still has a nice bag of extra goodies, such as several Making Of… documentaries and interviews, and also trailer, photo gallery and subtitles in fifteen languages. It’s all good.
Director: John Landis
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Shari Headley, John Amos, James Earl Jones and others
Runtime: 116 min.
Country: USA
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