Review of Coming 2 America
midlandsmovies • March 13, 2021
Coming 2 America (2021) Dir. Craig Brewer
23 years after the release of the original, Coming 2 America is a follow up to the classic 80s Eddie Murphy fish-out-of-water comedy. We catch up with Prince Akeem (Murphy) who uncovers that during his first visit to New York, he was drugged and has ended up with a son (Jermaine Fowler) he never knew of.
With three daughters and his dying father (a much-welcomed James Earl Jones) encouraging him to continue the male lineage of his forefathers, Akeem returns with Semmi (Arsenio Hall) to the US to find his heir.
Unlike its predecessor, Coming 2 America is filled with bland comic interludes and a move away from Murphy’s central comic role. The time delay between first and second instalments means its flaws are pretty obvious. Go in prepared for shoehorned cameos, progressive versus old fashioned humour and a familiar narrative re-tread. So it’s not a good idea to expect a comedy revolution – that’s wishful at worst, naïve at best.
But the hardest pill to swallow is that Murphy himself is somewhat relegated to a passive observer. The main focus shifts to his urban son who he brings back to Zamunda and who struggles with ancient African customs.
The opening 20 minutes is fun with a reintroduction to familiar faces and the simple retcon gets the story started. But it fairly quickly descends into a saggy middle section absent of laughs. It felt like Akeem and Semmi’s quest to find the son in NYC could have been the movie’s central narrative.
Instead we get far too many music/dance numbers. Did they not have enough jokes? In doesn’t help that all the new characters from New York are simply annoying and unnecessary.
The original was a social and cultural satire but the sequel’s distance from adult-centred comedy to a family-friendly fairy tale is a huge misstep and now we get CGI lions and endless musical montages.
Coming 2 America ends up then as a hugely disappointing attempt to capture the spirit of the original. But with a different tone, the only enjoyment strangely came from the heavy-handed fan service. From McDowell’s, the Queen’s barbershop, Randy Watson and Akeem and Semmi’s banter, the closer the film stepped towards the original the better it is.
But it can’t get by on 10 minutes worth of nostalgic scenes alone. And that ultimately means any fans coming back to enjoy another razor-sharp trip will be woefully let down. And then some.
★★
Michael Sales
On Sunday 26th April Midlands Movies Editor Michael Sales & awards ceremony co-host Ed Stagg (BBC Radio) announced the nominations for the 2026 Midlands Movies Awards live from the Queen of Bradgate Vintage Cinema in Leicester. A big thanks was given to the entire Jury Panel of industry experts who gave up their precious time to watch a huge selection of creative projects and as always, had a difficult time choosing from the excellent number of films from the region. You can read the full list of nominations across all 16 categories below and watch our announcement videos here: Part 1 & Part 2 And please also check out our great awards partner Chrome Video Best Actress in a Leading Role Karendip Phull for Family Kate Bracken for The Lace Rachel Baker for Throwing Fruit Chloe Wade for How Long Sophie Bullock for Ma Prison Best Animated Film Of All the Things by Steff Lee Big Red by James Pyle Statue in the Garden by Qianhui Yu Butterfly by Jacob Christie Best Director Luke Worrall for The Waterline Lily Portman for Quiet Jack Richardson for Daniel’s Room Jonathan Hawes for Sorry We’re Closed Sophia Dall'Aglio for Man from Mars Best Documentary Nothing's Impossible by Jacob Thomas McClean A Birmingham Symphony by Jemma Saunders We Bring Light: Leicester's Diwali Legacy by Kieran Vyas The Sunshine Café by Jill Lampert Through the Viewfinder by William North Best Sound (Editing or Mixing) Neil Evans & his team for Artificial Insanity Alasdair Gretton for Dead on Distribution Deepanjali Patel for Earworm David Hamilton-Smith for The Pause Heidi Wilson for Of All The Things Best Actor in a Supporting Role Devon Junior for Lazar Tim Sparrow for Safety Net Shaiek Ahmed Rana for Family Luke Rollason for Quiet Peter Willoughby for A Story of Spring Best Visual & Special Effects Jake Wesley-Worrall for Soul Trader Steve Askey & team for The Correction Unit Nick Willett, Matt Burkey & Jayne Hyman for Black Goat JaqD SFX MUA, Mind Magic Studios and Ben Harker for Beyond the Witching Hour Pete Key, Jai Blanks and Jacob Christie for Countenance Best Cinematography Gary Rogers for The Pause Laurence Mason-Guetta for Sorry We’re Closed Ian Snape for Soul Trader Ash Connaughton for Daniel’s Room Duane Adamoli for Surfing (nominations continue below...)
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