Coming 2 America is the sequel to Coming to America. Set three decades after the events of the first movie (which is around the same time that passed between the release dates of the two movies), it sees Prince Akeem Joffer (Eddie Murphy) getting crowned as king of Zamunda, after the death of his father King Jaffe Joffer (James Earl Jones). Soon after assuming the throne, King Akeem immediately faces a royal crisis. Zamundan tradition dictates that only a male heir can ascend to the throne. However, he’s only sired daughters with his wife Lisa McDowell (Shari Headley). This makes Zamundan vulnerable for a hostile takeover by General Izzi (Wesley Snipes), the dictator of the neighboring nation of Nexdoria.
But then, King Akeem learns that he has a bastard son. Apparently, when he and his best friend/aide Semmi (Arsenio Hall) visited Queens, New York 30 years ago, he had a one night stand (this occurred after the nightclub scene in the first movie, which was before he met Lisa) with a random woman named Mary Junson (Leslie Jones). Akeem had forgotten all about this, because Mary got him inadvertently high on drugs that night. Believing that this is the answer to his problems, Akeem once again travels to Queens with Semmi, so that he can reconcile with his son, Lavelle Junson (Jermaine Fowler), whom he intends to bring back to Zamundan and groom as heir. This move, however, upsets his eldest daughter, Princess Meeka (KiKi Layne), who has been dreaming and preparing all her life to succeed Akeem.
Coming to America is one of the movies that I vividly remember watching with my parents as a toddler (we saw the TV-friendly version, i.e. the nude scenes were cut). Young as I was, I enjoyed it during that first viewing, as I did manage to follow the plot and appreciate humor for the most part. And with each subsequent re-watch through the years, I’ve continued to find it enjoyable. As a result, it’s become one of my most favorite Eddie Murphy movies.
Meanwhile, it’s immediately evident that Coming 2 America is just not as good as Coming to America. But at least, for a sequel that took 30 years to happen, it doesn’t feel “too late” at all. It’s been trashed by most critics and audiences, but personally, I don’t think it’s that terrible. Sure, it has flaws and problematic elements, and it doesn’t offer anything novel. But I think its enjoyable aspects still outweigh its weaknesses and failings. For what it is, a dumb popcorn comedy, it adequately entertains, in my opinion.
True, it does have plenty of retreads and recycled gags. And I guess that turned off many. But somehow, in my case, that didn’t bother me. Rather, it was a delight to see Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall revisit their multiple characters, and I actually thought the movie displayed some degree of charming self-awareness and wittiness when presenting callbacks (especially with Akeem’s barking ex-fiancee).
Admittedly, the comedy this time around is less nuanced and clever. Again, a significant amount of gags rely on repeating elements from the first movie. Nonetheless, the jokes, both new and old, honestly succeeded in making me laugh a couple of times.
Moreover, it felt to me that Coming 2 America was emitting so much sanguine energy. That was probably what ultimately won me over. It was as if everyone involved with its production had so much fun working on it (and if the mid-credits behind-the-scenes clips are any indication, they likely did), that their joy got instilled into the essence of the movie itself.
Wesley Snipes was particularly seemingly having a blast while parodying a stereotypical African warlord. He stole the show with his performance. This may be a case of recency bias, but when it comes to caricatures of dictators, Wesley Snipe’s General Izzi trumps Sacha Baron Cohen’s Admiral General Aladeen.
Lastly, you know what? I actually liked Leslie Jones in this movie. This is the first time this ever happened. Prior to this, I hated her in every movie I saw her in. I used to find her characters – even the animated ones she voiced – very obnoxious. But in this movie, I was surprised to find her likable.
To sum it up, Coming 2 America isn’t great, but when given the chance, there’s fun to be had from it. The first movie is undoubtedly superior and grander, but Coming 2 America, for me, is a satisfying, amusing follow-up.
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