EDDIE MURPHY REVIVES CULTURE CLASH COMEDY AS AKEEM HEADS BACK TO THE UNITED STATES
COMING 2 AMERICA (12A) ★★III
AROUND an hour into Craig Brewer’s lacklustre sequel to the 1988 culture clash comedy Coming To America, scriptwriters Kenya Barris, Barry W Blaustein and David Sheffield hammer nails into their own coffins by engineering a playful on-screen conversation about the artistic merits of Hollywood.
With a laboured, self-referential wink, two characters concur that American cinema is dominated by superhero adventures, remakes and “sequels to old movies nobody asked for”.
The sentiment rings true as second-hand sermons about gender inequality and acceptance are casually thrown into the hotchpotch of crudity and character comedy (again, Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall embrace multiple latex-laden alter egos).
Murphy and Hall comfortably ease back into their roles, appropriating the lion’s share of hit-or-miss punchlines while costars Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan and Wesley Snipes tussle noisily over the scraps.
As King Jaffe Joffer (James Earl Jones), ruler of the prosperous nation of Zamunda, takes his final breath, pampered crown prince Akeem (Murphy) faces a constitutional crisis.
His country’s antiquated laws forbid women from ascending the throne, so Akeem’s eldest daughter Meeka (KiKi Layne) and her two sisters Omma (Bella Murphy) and Tinashe (Akiley Love) must marry and dutifully serve a husband if they wish to rule.
An elderly shaman unexpectedly discloses that Akeem has an heir – an illegitimate son - back in New York.
Determined to protect the royal bloodline, Akeem bids farewell to his wife Lisa (Shari Headley) and travels to America with manservant Semmi (Hall) to track down the product of a drug-fuelled one-night stand more than 30 years ago.
His offspring, ticket tout Lavelle (Jermaine Fowler), is thrilled to discover that he shall inherit the crown and heads excitedly to Zamunda with his mother Mary (Jones) and uncle Reem (Morgan) to face three princely tests.
Political manoeuvring complicates the coronation when General Izzi (Snipes), dictatorial ruler of neighbouring Nexdoria, proposes an arranged marriage between Lavelle and his daughter Bopoto (Teyana Taylor).
Coming 2 America is a laboured reminder of halcyon days when everything Murphy touched turned to gold.
The predictable plot teaches old dogs new tricks, interspersed with cameos including Morgan Freeman, Gladys Knight, Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue. Out-takes during the end credits capture spontaneous outbursts and hilarity behind the scenes.
Everyone is invited to the party, it seems, except us.
■ On Amazon Prime Video now