The Unintentional Social Commentary in Coming 2 America

To paraphrase Lavelle Junson, presumptive heir to the throne of Zamunda, people don’t want to see a sequel to an old movie from 30 years ago that no one asked for. Yet, other than standard issue Disney/Marvel/DC and the occasional sleeper indie hit, we’ve been fed a steady cine

matic diet of sequels and reboots to properties from the Reagan-Bush era. Coming 2 America is the latest entry in the never-ending lineup of stale nostalgia bait. Although occasionally amusing and like its soulless siblings, the follow-up to the endearing 1988 comedy is shallow, tired, and ultimately lacking; an archetype for the entertainment industry’s output over the past ten years. And we just can’t get enough of it.

Junson’s observation may be astute but of course we know it’s completely wrong. A ravenous market for ‘80s and ‘90s reboot/sequels still exists and even those of us who should know better get foolishly sucked into the cynical cash-grabbers’ trap. We grew up with these characters, so it’s only natural to crave fresh and interesting stories, watch them grow, and have them overcome new challenges.

The original Coming to America features a young Prince Akeem Joffer (Eddie Murphy) who is arranged to be married in the exotically fictional African kingdom of Zamunda. Frustrated with his predetermined and pampered life, he breaks off the engagement to seek true love and experience a normal life in America (where else but Queens, NY) with his mischievous pal Semmi (Arsenio Hall). Overcoming a hilarious socio-economic culture shock, they meet a motley crew of characters along the way as Akeem courts Lisa (Shari Headley), the daughter of a fast food entrepreneur. She’s having relationship problems of her own with a boyfriend who’s set to inherit a fortune from a line of “Soul Glo” urban hair care products.

Although initially met with a lukewarm reception, Coming to America gained a loyal following over the years with its unique brand of humor, interesting characters (most of whom are played by Murphy and Hall), and humble urban settings. The announcement of a sequel was somewhat promising as most of the cast was set to return. More romantic, cross-cultural misadventures? A new generation of Zamundans and a secret heir to the throne? The potential was definitely there, especially for us ‘80s kids.

Instead, we get a slapdash sequel with a loosely interconnected set of references to the original material, a razor thin yet nonsensical plot, all-too-familiar tropes, and stunted characters that wind up where they ended up in the last movie.

Eddie Murphy’s Prince Akeem discovers that while in America back in ’88, he was drugged and raped by Leslie Jones’ Mary Junson, which produced a son Lavelle. Yes, date rape is the inciting incident but this proves to be more of a comedy beat than a felonious assault. Despite having three able daughters, only a male heir can assume the throne. With a ruthless General Izzi vying for Zamunda’s riches, Akeem is compelled to bring his bastard son back to the kingdom and install him as a prince to curb Izzi’s fashionable assassins. Because in order to keep the peace, the Prince of Zamunda must wed the daughter of General Izzi in an arranged marriage. Sound familiar?

But what about finding your one true love and forging your own way? Have you forgotten who you are Simb–I mean, Prince Akeem?!

You may be surprised to learn that there are several grrlpower moments in the third act, which reaffirm that indeed, women can be strong capable leaders too.

It’s a spin on the original’s fish-out-of-water trope. Beyond that, we get little else other than barely warmed-over leftovers from a McDowell’s Big Mick meal. They dig up just about everyone from the first movie, from the rapping Peaches and Sugar Cube twins to an ageless Shari Headley who returns to play Lisa. Noticeably and sorely missing are Eriq La Salle’s Darryl and the hilarious Soul Glo jingle that made his family rich. Everyone and everything else falls in line with nearly identical story beats and jokes that barely land.

The comedy element lacks the original’s Soul Glo moment as well as the social satire that made the property relevant and enduring. The Soul Glo commercial and its amazing musical accompaniment are one of the most laugh-out-loud moments of ‘80s cinema. The “Black Awareness” grifting operation and Queens’ socio-economic power structure that mirrored Zamundan society are replaced with cheap references and bland social justice messaging. Without strong gags or social commentary, even as mild as it was back then, movies like this quickly fade from memory with very few reasons to keep it on your watch list.

Watching these once-charming royals have a bit of fun while going through the motions reminds us once again how creatively bankrupt our own Kings and Queens of Tinseltown truly are. If a property like Coming to America needs to be revived, at least give it life. Explore their world through a modern lens. We are starving for satire that pokes at our conventions and communities.

Not only won’t Hollywood recreate Coming to America’s brand of satire anymore for fear of the social media mob, it’s becoming clear that they simply can’t. The writers, producers, and production companies are so removed from mainstream society that they’re no longer able to meaningfully connect to their targeted audience. They know what worked before, so they regurgitate the same themes and narratives, but they fail to understand why they worked and what would work better for today’s movie-going public.

The beauty of the original Coming to America is that it crossed racial, social, and economic lines delivering a familiar, crowd-pleasing story and featuring likable characters doing their best in an authentic, lived-in environment. Much of Coming 2 America takes place in a fictional world, inside of a palace, with aging talents doing more to entertain each other than entertaining we, the people. Perhaps this is the real social satire that this movie, and many others like it, unintentionally achieve.

If you’re looking for a Joffer family reunion, you won’t be disappointed; although probably underwhelmed. There are a few bright spots like Wesley Snipes’ bizarrely wonderful performance and Jermaine Fowler admirably keeping up with the veteran cast. Coming 2 America isn’t a terrible film, it’s a passable distraction as we wait for theaters to open up again and studios to stop dragging their feet. Like good and loyal subjects, we’ll gobble up the next reboot too. What else are we going to do, exercise our sovereignty and start making our own movies?

Article appears on The Federalist (3/11/2021)