It’s funny to think that the last film I reviewed was Bill and Ted Face the Music, a sequel that came out nearly thirty years after the previous entry, with many of the main cast returning and its main criteria for existing being that nostalgic fondness for the original could lead millions of people to go and see it. The same applies to Coming 2 America in all three categories which, like Bill and Ted, isn’t necessarily a bad thing but this type of sequel can go wrong so easily.
Set thirty-three years after the first film and with directing duties being competently handled by Footloose 2011 alumnus Craig Brewer, we find Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy), his wife Lisa (Shari Headley) and their three daughters Meeka (Kiki Layne), Omma (Bella Murphy) and Tinashe (Akiley Love) all living happily in Zamunda. The prince seems to have done well with his family and bringing the fast-food restaurant ‘McDowell’s’ to the kingdom. But problems arise with the death of his father Jaffe, the king of Zamunda (James Earl Jones), whose dying words reveal that Akeem has an illegitimate son named Lavelle (Jermaine Fowler) who was conceived during the previous visit to America while he was drugged.
Following a funeral complete with a speech by Morgan Freeman, Akeem and his best friend Semmi return to New York to find this long-lost son, bring him back to Africa, put him through a series of tests to see if he is worthy of the throne, and possibly marry him to the daughter of the neighbouring kingdom ‘Nextdoria’ led by General Izzi (Wesley Snipes).
Of course, when the son is found he is as far from royalty as you could expect. He lives in Queens with his mom and his uncle Reem (Tracy Morgan) – who prides himself on being the male figure in the son’s life that Akeem was not.
It’s safe to say that the Eddie Murphy people loved is back with the same likeable personality and is always entertaining to watch. Hall is very much on the same level, and even with his brief screentime, James Earl Jones manages to make talking about his imminent death funny. A lot of it is down to the way the actors deliver their lines, with and without the use of supposedly ‘African’ accents. Snipes is fine but assumes a voice that comes across as trying too hard to be a harmless, cartoonish villain.
On the other hand (and I admit it may be intentional) most of the new characters are rather annoying, especially Morgan as Reem – every time he opens his mouth it’s just one rant after another about how he and Javelle are New York people and not royals.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way, there is nothing here that anyone going into this film couldn’t see coming. When the plot is going through the conventions of its genre it’s easy just to sit there giving the film only half your attention until something that’s actually funny turns up. Even with two of the original film’s writers involved (Barry W. Blaustein and David Sheffield) the jokes just aren’t as good. They also try to throw in some modern touches such as referring to the preacher from the first film as a sexist, and the rule that only a man can become king, but I don’t think this really needed to be spelled out, it would be obvious after a while anyway.
Jermaine Stegall has created a bland score and is under the delusion that a repetitive, near-identical string of hip-hop and rap will be good enough, but it isn’t. Fortunately, Gladys Knight shows up in the middle of the funeral to sing ‘Midnight Train to Georgia’ (but with some new words about leaving Zamunda). A similar joke comes up the end when the film’s original band, ‘Randy Watson and the Sexual Chocolate’, sing ‘We Are Family’. Watson changes a part of the chorus to be about his band. They were one call-back that I didn’t need.
If you want to pinpoint how this sequel does nothing to outshine the original, look no further than the men in the barbershop. Yes, it’s the same actors playing them, even Murphy as the Jewish man, but something just isn’t clicking as well as it did the first time. This comes full circle with the preacher who has his outrageous personality and energy sucked out of him and is just left with his unique voice. That was definitely the biggest disappointment for me here – I was hoping this character would give me something to remember but he was just part of the ‘fan service’ for those who love the original (and where he truly stood out). If you’re going to bring back old characters, it might be a good idea to let them do some decent stuff. At least Semmi and the daughters get to fight Snipes in the end, even if it’s ridiculously one-sided. Don’t get too excited about it, it’s amusing but only passable.
What you can be certain of is that Coming 2 America gives what it promises, but the feelings the audience has about it once it’s over will depend on the individual viewer. It’s nothing very special and it won’t be a key part of the legacy Eddie Murphy will leave behind, but it will serve as a reminder to the world, especially the under-30s, that this talented individual didn’t spend all his career voicing a scene-stealing CGI donkey.
