Written by Natasha Gunion (Features Writer)
Coming 2 America was directed by Craig Brewer, and is the sequel to Coming to America, which was produced in the late 1980s. The movie runs for 1 hour and 50 minutes and is rated PG-13. This movie is about a king in the kingdom of Zamunda. He rejects an arranged marriage, tries to find the actual love of his life, and seeks to find his (unknown) biological son. Akeem travels to America alongside his friend Semmi, played by Arsenio Hall.
To provide some background context on the movie series, coming to America was about Akeem traveling the United States attempting to find the woman he can marry. Since he was still a prince and not yet a king, Akeem was looking for a woman who would love him for who he is, not just his royalty. Akeem does not want a traditional arranged marriage, so he travels to America to find that woman with the company of his sidekick, “Semmi.” When he finds a woman named Lisa, Akeem has trouble revealing his true identity/why he is in America, to begin with.
Coming 2 America stars Eddie Murphy who plays four characters: King Akeem, Clarence, Saul, and Randy Watson. King Akeem is the main character who is searching for the love of his life and his son who he can have become a prince. As soon as the prince is aware that he has a son in the United States, he travels to Queens, New York to build a relationship with him. Akeem goes on a hunt to find his son, with only a drawing for reference. He starts his journey with the intention of finding him or at least someone who looks like him. Once he tracks down his son, he can pass on the title of “prince”.
When Akeem arrives in New York City on a mission to find his son, he holds up the drawing of what his son looks like, trying to find any possible match. When Akeem stumbles upon a man who looks exactly like the drawing, he makes no further thoughts and flies back to Africa with his supposed son, his son’s mother, and Semmi. When they arrive back in Africa, Akeem introduces his son to his three daughters and housemaids. Throughout the rest of the movie, Akeem trains his son to become prince, and eventually king.
Overall, I would rate Coming to 2 America a solid 8 out of 10. It is a perfect comedy movie and has you constantly on the edge of your seat with new fun and entertaining scenes that keep you laughing along with the cast. My family and I shared many laughs during this movie, as we watched a father and a long-lost son reunite.
The Claw 