Romancefest 2016: Coming to America

COMING TO AMERICA is one of those movies I definitely saw but it's been so long that it was time to give it another look. Obviously, with the great comedy director John Landis behind the camera and the great comedian Eddie Murphy in front of it, I was in for a treat, although there is a marked difference between this movie and, say, TRADING PLACES. There's also a marked similarity between this movie and A VAMPIRE IN BROOKLYN, which I watched recently for Horrorfest. I guess I'll go into that later.

This is a fish out of water comedy as much as it's a romantic one, as Murphy stars as an African prince who has had everything handed to him on a platter his entire life, including the woman he's soon to be married to. But Murphy wants more out of life than arranged marriage, and leaves his kingdom (headed by James Earl Jones as his father) with his servant (Arsenio Hall) and heads to Queens (get it?) to find his love.

So, at the beginning of the movie we get lots of funny stuff with Murphy's overblown palace life, and then we get lots of fun stuff as Murphy becomes acquainted with the world of Queens, NY, eventually going to work for a fast food restaurant that's actively in the business of ripping off McDonalds. Murphy finds everything he's looking for in the independent and spirited daughter (Shari Headley) of the restaurant owner (John Amos).

This being a romantic comedy, there are some misunderstandings and false steps but eventually love finds a way. Yay! In the mean time, there's a prade of then up-and-comers who would soon be stars in their own rights, including Eriq La Salle as Murphy's romantic rival, Samuel L. Jackson as a hold up man, and more. There's even a quick glimpse of young Cuba Gooding, Jr. Other than that, Murphy plays multiple roles (some better than others) and Hall gets in a couple get ups as well.

So, the movie is very funny, but not perfect, and here I guess I'll get back to the comparisons. In TRADING PLACES you've got young Eddie Murphy as a scrappy, hustling  homeless guy who has to rely on fast-talk and charm in order to scrape by in the world. Murphy's talents as a stand up, and his natural charm and timing lend themselves well to this kind of role and have you rooting for him. But it almost seems like the more rich and powerful Murphy got, the more dreamed up rich and powerful characters, until you get movies like this one and VAMPIRE where the most talented comic in the movie (Murphy) plays the most boring, unsympathetic stiff in the movie. What's the fun in that? Is it an ego thing for Murphy? Of course, I don't know.

Still this movie's CITIZEN KANE compared to the likes of Murphy's worst, and still shows a spark of fun and excitement some of his later stuff lacked.