‘Coming 2 America’ is not completely awful … but it in no way compares to 1988’s ‘Coming to America’

“Coming 2 America” (US Rated PG-13)

Cast: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Jermaine Fowler, Kiki Layne, Shari Headley

Genre: Comedy

Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Dwight’s Rating:

Have you ever been to a dinner party, expecting a four-course or at least three-course meal, only to learn it would be a cocktail reception, with just hors d’oeuvres on the menu, all night long?

That’s “Coming 2 America”: no meat, no potatoes, not even salad – just tiny pieces of shrimp that vaguely conjure up a memory of a decent meal you once had at that same location, a long, long time ago.

The new film, released last week, is not completely awful, but it is in no way comparable to the beloved and well-regarded hit 1988 film, “Coming to America”.

The 33 years that have passed – and the fact that the majority of those who harbor fond remembrances of the original were deeply entrenched members of the “MTV Generation” at the time of its release – have caused many to forget that the previous outing was by no means perfect. But it was fun, funny, and seemed to perfectly encapsulate the essence of the times.

On the other hand, “Coming 2 America” is an answer – and not a good one – to a question no reasonable person was asking.

That it should even be branded with a similar name points to the sad state of affairs in the film industry today. Deeply saddening!

Not even if this had been a documentary called “Coming 2 America” about an entire multigenerational family, who after years of oppression and torment in some far-flung, war-torn nation, travel thousands of miles to the United States, only to lose their lives on their trip to freedom (while minutes away from the Statue of America), would I have felt the deep sadness and emptiness I experienced watching this ridiculous attempt to mine the affections millions have for the original.

It shouldn’t have been this way. Not with Eddie Murphy here, looking at least 20 years younger than the age he’s claiming to be. (He’s turning 60 next month!) Most of the original cast is looking shockingly youthful as well. And not with the new additions being extremely talented actors. And even though Leslie Jones and Tracy Morgan really need to speak to their agents about being typecast, they are nevertheless playing the same roles they always seem to play as well as they always do.

The big problem, then, is the wonky plot: Needing a male heir to the throne, Prince Akeem (Murphy) returns to Queens, New York, to find his long-lost son and bring him back to Zamunda.

This storyline seems to set the franchise back several centuries, with Akeem appearing nowhere near as progressive as the young man we once knew. To be fair, this is acknowledged in the film, and is a concern of numerous characters. But still, it makes little sense that he would have conformed to such backward traditions.

Also, the new film is missing many of the essential elements that made the first movie special. While it did not stray far from the typical romantic comedy playbook, “Coming to America”, in addition to Murphy and Hall playing many different zany characters, did feature that compelling “fish out of water” assessment of life in 1980s America, allowing Murphy to tap into a lovably endearing puppy dog sweetness and innocence.

“Coming 2 America” seems too afraid to examine 21st century America, and spends more time in the fictional Zamunda than in the US.

Plus, it spends far too much time focusing on special guest cameos and fancy graphics to really get to matters of the heart. There are brief flashes of this later in the picture, but it comes far too late, and many potentially great opportunities are blown.

Jermaine Fowler (TV’s “Superior Donuts”) and Kiki Layne (“If Beale Street Could Talk”) as Akeem’s son Lavelle and daughter Meeka, respectively, have bright futures ahead of them, but are not allowed to shine fully in this overstuffed and overwhelmed production.

Instead of spending more time on them, or the original actors and characters, we get a lot of a dumb “Black Panther”-like rival kingdom side plot involving Wesley Snipes.

In the end, just like that dinner party with solely finger foods, you leave feeling not satiated. And you realize you only went for the company, but barely got to see them. Next time though, consider skipping the party, get a TV dinner and watch a classic like “Coming to America” instead.

• Dwight Strachan is the host/producer of “Morning Blend” on Guardian Radio and station manager. He is a television producer and writer, and an avid TV history and film buff. Email dwight@nasguard.com and follow him on twitter @morningblend969.

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