Coming to America Reviews

I don't think it is John Landis's best film or anything, but there are a lot of very likable things about this film. I agree that when the film slows down, some the jokes do too and the pacing lags slightly then. That said, it is confidently directed, has a sweet story and the jokes that work do outweigh the ones that don't quite. The film looks good too, with some interesting locations and lush cinematography and the soundtrack is memorable. Eddie Murphy does a fine job carrying the film and manages to be very likable, not to mention some fun cameos of his courtesy of clever make-up. Arsenio Hall is good too, and it is wonderful to see James Earl Jones and Madge Sinclair again, same with scene stealers Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy. So in conclusion, I like Coming to America very much, and Murphy does shine here. 8/10 Bethany Cox

This is an African American CLASSIC. An exceptionally well made film. Everybody loves it but the critics. It could be that they have a hard time seeing anybody depict Africans as Royalty anywhere, the starving Ethiopian image is better suited to their taste, or better yet, the African American slave or criminal even. Get over it, this is a Great Romance/Dramedy

By now, I have seen almost all the movie starring Eddie Murphy and it is a real shame that, nowadays, he shows up only in some very average, even very bad flicks. However, back in the 80's, he was really a superstar and his movies were highly successful. For example, this movie was a huge success at the box-office and it is considered as one of his classics. So, with this in mind, I had some rather high expectations before watching this flick. Also, it was the 2nd time Murphy was working with John Landis and their previous movie, ‘Trading Places’, was really good so I thought this movie would be a sure winner. Eventually, I thought the whole thing was seriously disappointing. Indeed, in my opinion, the whole plot was actually very average and completely predictable and I didn't find any of the jokes really hilarious. For the first time, Eddie Murphy was putting some disguises, a formula he will use more and more in the future, and I have to admit, it was a gimmick which was interesting back then but nowadays, it is just really annoying to death. Sometimes you wonder what’s the point of portraying all these characters. Anyway, basically, I didn't enjoy this movie and even though it was not really bad, it was not really funny either and it is not really worth a look in my opinion.