Coming 2 America

Right off the bat you should know that I've never seen the original Coming to America. I've got a laundry list of pre 1995-movies that I should catch up on and Coming to America was just never all that high on the list, though I understand its place in Eddie Murphy's historic career. 

Coming 2 America, however, the 33-year later sequel, was free on Prime Video this weekend, so why not? 

So, with only understanding the context of the first film in broad strokes, I was surprised that my fiancé and I enjoyed Coming 2 America as much as we did. For some reason, the movie-going world (both during COVID and before COVID) has been lacking quality comedies. Every year when I put together the Rath Awards, I struggle to create the "Funniest Movie" award and it's been oft dominated by superhero flicks, which are quite funny, but they rarely win. 

I'm not saying Coming 2 America is here to save comedy, but it was some of the most consistent laughs I've had in a funny film for quite some time, and is maybe one of the best examples of something that felt like "old-school" comedy, whatever that means. I can't speak to how it compares to the "classic" original or how they compare, but I can summarize that for a Friday evening watch, with a couple drinks in hand, I had a delightful time. 

One thing that immediately struck both of us while watching Coming 2 America was how much confidence it had, likely in the wake of Black Panther's staggering success. Zamunda shares a lot of qualities with Wakanda (just more realistic) and the plot beats aren't far off either (just less violent). The story is essentially Black Panther meets The Princess Diaries. This set design is very exciting and full of color, fashion, and music that breathe life into the film's setting. Sure, Africa vistas are marred by some shoddy CGI animals, but all in all, this film is enjoyable to look at. And despite how predictable the plot is - it ended up exactly how I thought it would - there's enough going on to present some well-earned character moments for the plethora of them that need to grow. It all happens a mile-a-minute, especially by the end, which removes some of the impact, but it's also a pleasant surprise in a comedy that could have phoned it in and still gotten that Amazon $$. The story could have been nonsense and forced, but instead this feels like a [mostly] logical continuation of a long-dormant film.

Give me a Wakanda vs. Zamunda in the Olympics!

"The New York Mets are the best team, no?"

And while the story is what makes it worth sticking it out and the set designs add a lot of fun, it's the comedy I enjoyed the most. It's clear Eddie Murphy is having fun back in this role, as is Arsenio Hall, and their chemistry lends to some hilarious moments, stacked on top of their natural comedic abilities. Everything from their facial expressions to their subtle one-liners, even with some physical comedy, gives us two very funny leading men. The cast around them is also great with Wesley Snipes being the far-and-above standout with his pimp walk entrance every.single.time and the delightfully zany twinkle in his eye. I couldn't get enough of his "villain". James Earl Jones gets some brief funny bits and Leslie Jones works great in the ensemble. I continue to not "get" Tracy Morgan's comedy for the life of me, but hey, I realize I'm in the minority there so I'll let it go. Even better is we get Murphy and Hall in various "other" characters throughout that are mostly hits (some misses), but you can tell they're having a hoot in costume, almost busting at the seams laughing themselves. 

This will be one of those short reviews because 1) I'm doing lots of new reviews this weekend since Hollywood decided March 5th is the date they should release a lot of stuff all at once (how is there no one that organizes this better?) and 2) there's not much else to say here. Aside from the fact that this is a PG-13 sequel to an R-rated comedy, I imagine nostalgia is going to be the driving culprit of any disappointment viewers have with Coming 2 America. As someone who watched it "blind", I had a great, silly time with it. 

CONS

• The pace is wickedly fast near the end, suggesting some pacing issues. It tends to be at the detriment of character moments near the end and there's some leaps of logic/love
• Pretty bad CGI whenever it's needed
• Not all the jokes land, probably tries to recapture too much of some jokes that hit in the original
• Very predictable

PROS

• Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall are a blast to watch and still have the comedic chops. Seeing them in costume is fun
• Wonderful set design that clearly takes inspiration from Wakanda. It never reaches that high, but this is a film full of color, music, culture, and fashion and it adds to the experience
• Despite the predictability, the plot is a fun tale that provides a lot of well-earned character growth moments 
• Consistently funny. I was belly laughing on a handful of occasions, and getting solid chuckles for the majority of the time
• Strong supporting cast for the most part and Wesley Snipes is the MVP
• Entertaining from start to finish, with plenty of laughs and it doesn't overstay its welcome

Rath's Review Score | 7.5/10