A comedy. and, in strange manner, a beautiful lesson about choices, appearences and decisions. about America, love and the need to be yourself. a fairy tale, off course. but who has the gift to propose a smart perspective about reality. and gives humor, a splendid work of Eddie Murphy and James Earl Jones and the spirit of clash between different perspectives about life in a not formal style.

Perhaps the worst thing that works against Eddie Murphy's "Coming to America" is that many of the jokes fall flat. Who knows, maybe this was funny back in 1988. But remember, that year also gave us Beetlejuice, Die Hard, and Big, all of which hold up a LOT better than Coming to America.Many of this film's jokes are rooted in stereotypes. There are scenes where a black barber excitably argues with his patients. This is a very long sequence. I thought to myself, "Is this supposed to be funny? Why? Because he's black and he's got a funny voice?" The fictional African country as well was almost uncomfortable to watch to think that Eddie Murphy actually thought that his portrayal could reflect any real culture.I will give the movie this: it has heart. The actors look like they're having a good time, and I like most of the performances, but they're left on a bland script, tired story, and unfunny jokes. Overall, this movie tries, and it functions as a film, but if you're looking for a classic, this isn't one, and if this is the best Eddie Murphy film, what does that say about the rest?

Hilarious tale of an African prince named Akeem (Murphy) and his royal servant (Hall) who head off to the United States in search of the perfect Queen. After deciding to go to New York City (they saw that the city had a borough named "Queens"), Akeem becomes a pauper in order to woo the perfect woman (Shari Headley) to become his wife. Although the film had many pre and post-production problems (director Landis almost walked off the set due to a fight with Murphy; Murphy was successfully sued by columnist Art Buchwald for "stealing" his idea of an African prince who goes in search of a wife) the final production is pure comic genius at it's best. Undeniabley, Murphy is the king of a thousand faces. Eddie Murphy gets a chance to deliver a more restrained performance with this film and he manages to do so very well.The film features many hilarious scenes and characters especially a group of boxing obsessed senior citizens who spend their days arguing with a barber shop owner. Murphy and Hall demonstrate their levels of versatility by managing to go under heavy makeup and portray several different costarring roles. This is an excellent film, well produced and flows beautifully from one scene to the next. The movie has a brilliant cast of African Americans. This is Eddie Murphy at his best with witty dialogue, good jokes and romance. If you like Eddie Murphy, and you like comedy, then this is a film not to be missed.Overall rating: 9 out of 10.

This is a hilarious, heartwarming comedy with Eddie Murphy at his peak (and playing multiple roles for the first time). The plot is rather simple: African prince leaves home to find in true love (in Queens, NY lol). However, what sets it apart from other fish-out-of-water comedies is the depth it gives the characters. The story isn't rushed, and it gives you time to spend with each character, so that you care about them, and what happens to them. I mentioned earlier that Eddie Murphy plays multiple roles (as well as Arsenio Hall, who also does a fantastic job). Here, he has four: one (obviously) as the main character Akeem, a soul/funk singer Randy Watson (who looks like a combination of Rick James and Kanye West), a loudmouthed barber and an old Jewish guy (completely unrecognizable, incredible makeup job). He even gives a distinct personality to each of his other characters, and elevates every scene he's in. Another great thing about this movie is the star-studded cast, from James Earl Jones to Samuel L. Jackson in a small role early in his career. Nobody is wasted, and everyone has their opportunity to shine. But more than anything, after this Eddie Murphy would never hit the comedic heights he did here. His film career arguably peaked here, although he would have a resurgence in the late 90's with The Nutty Professor and a couple others. Overall, this is a great movie experience the whole way through, and has a satisfying (if cliché) ending.