Coming to America – I Love the ’80s Edition

This film, also part of the dreadfully gimmicky I Love the ’80s line of DVD re-releases meant to both pimp VH1 and get rid of some old standard films the studios likely have cluttering distribution houses, is one of those remnants of a comic actor who never had to prove that he was, indeed, comedic. Watching an old great like Coming to America makes it even easier to compare Eddie Murphy’s career to that of a rock star’s. In the ’80s, his decade, the man had an impossibly successful career matched by just how impossibly funny he was. No comedian since has successfully had a trilogy of action films to their name, and his time on Saturday Night Live is often argued to be one of the show’s best periods. It’s inescapable to ask how he’s come to find the only moderately worthwhile role he’s assumed lately is that of a wise cracking donkey named Donkey. Appropriately, Shrek has run itself into the ground with spinoff straight-to-home titles and subpar sequels for a quick buck. Somewhere along the line that seemed to matter more to Murphy than making people laugh, but there are relics such as this film that remind us how valuable his contribution to comedy was all the same.

Here, Murphy plays Akeem, the prince and heir to the throne of fictitious African country Zamunda. The film opens on his twenty-first birthday, when he is to meet his betrothed. Dissatisfied with the tradition of marrying someone he’s never met before, he makes his way to Queens, New York thinking it would be the perfect place to find a queen. It’s a solid setup for the classic “fish out of water” film, and on top of that Murphy’s supporting cast, chiefly Arsenio Hall as his companion to Queens, contribute plenty to the humor that abounds.

Surprisingly, a lot of these jokes still hold up today. Slums continue to be slums as portrayed here, and how they react to a wealthy man oblivious to the cultural and socioeconomic factors dividing them continues to be funny. Just as funny and almost a little biting is how Akeem tries to function on the level of the impoverished people around him. His desire to succeed in it along with his willingness to drop all his riches, though, shows an honest and positive regard for everyone he encounters despite his accidental stereotyping. These tropes can often come off trite, but the well-crafted laughs actually succeed in disarming the viewer and inspiring a little care for the characters of this small comedy. It’s clear that the cast and crew knew the jokes came first, but their attachment to the core story ties them to the characters and succeeds in charming the viewer.

There’s a little exaggeration going on here. There’s really just a cute and clever comedy at the core of this. That Eddie Murphy is either unwilling or unable to strike this chord anymore is quite frustrating considering the wit here is almost completely absent from his recent body of work. All the same, it is here, and it’s worth a viewing. In regards to purchase, there is a collector’s edition that is likely more valuable than this re-release that offers not one bonus feature.

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