In dire States
‘‘
It coasts along with cameos, broad comedy and knowing callbacks
COMING 2 AMERICA Cert 12 ★★
On Amazon Prime now
Can you think of a joke that was funnier the second time you heard it? Me neither. This disappointing follow-up to Eddie Murphy’s 1988 hit tries to steal a march on its critics with a knowing scene where two characters discuss the current state of American cinema.
“It’s all superhero sh** remakes and sequels to films nobody wanted,” says Lavelle ( Jermaine Fowler).
It’s a good point well made. If Murphy had to revisit his 80s’ heyday, I’d rather see him doing stand-up movies such as Delirious instead of revisiting a largely forgettable mainstream comedy.
Coming 2 America falls into the same trap that Ben Stiller did with Zoolander 2. Instead of sweating over crafting fresh gags, the writers coast along with cameo appearances, broad comedy and knowing callbacks to the original.
Here, the culture clash is thrown into reverse. Instead of Murphy’s pampered African prince Akeem searching for true love on the rough streets of New York, it’s the turn of his surprise American son, the street-smart Lavelle, to be the fish out of water when he visits his father’s opulent palace.
A brief trip to Queens allows Murphy and his co-star Arsenio Hall to don prosthetics to reprise their comedy side characters. The film’s funniest and liveliest sequence takes us back to the My-t-sharp barbershop where the regulars lecture a young client on political correctness.
Wesley Snipes, so good alongside Murphy in 2019’s Dolemite Is My Name, has his moments as a macho African dictator. But these talented comic actors have no business training in nostalgia.