‘Coming 2 America’ balances nostalgia with modern times
Partway through “Coming 2 America,” Lavelle — King Akeem’s “bastard son” from Queens and heir to the throne — is dismissive when a potential love interest in Zamunda extols American films.
“What do we have besides superhero (expletive), remakes and sequels to old movies nobody asks for?” complains Lavelle, played by Jermaine Fowler.
“This is true about sequels,” she responds. “If something is good, why ruin it?”
The scene is a wink and nod to the audience regarding the entire dilemma with sequels: are they greedy cash grabs or a genuine way to bring back beloved characters? Or both?
Eddie Murphy was already a huge star in 1988 with “48 Hours,” “Beverly Hills Cop” and “Trading Places” among his bona fides. The original “Coming to America” that year was another smash, generating $128 million at the domestic box office, second only behind “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.”
The film over the years became a cherished staple, airing frequently on basic cable networks with phrases and jokes now part of common parlance: “Sexual Chocolate.” The barking woman. Cleo telling Akeem to “stay off the drugs.” Akeem confidently informing Samuel L. Jackson’s robber character, “I’m going to be forced to thrash you.”
Calls for a sequel have been thrashed about for decades, but Murphy resisted. And with no Murphy, there would be no sequel. Over the past two decades, Murphy has only done a handful of movies.
But when he starred in the critically acclaimed Netflix film “Dolemite Is My Name” in 2019, director Craig Brewer saw a fresh spark in Murphy, now a well-preserved 59.
“I think he found the bug again,” Brewer said in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “There was something about that part of Rudy Ray Moore in ‘Dolemite.’ It galvanized him into action.”
During a screening of “Dolemite,” A-listers crowded the theater, including Murphy’s longtime buddy and “Coming to America” co-star Arsenio Hall. After the film, “while Eddie was walking to his car,” Brewer said, “he turned to me and said, ‘Coming 2 America.’ Let’s do it!’”
He sent Brewer a script. “I kind of couldn’t believe it,” Brewer said. “It moved so fast. We were able to get into production, into casing and prep for ‘Coming 2 America’ before ‘Dolemite’ had even come out.’
Murphy, in a press pool interview, said he was well aware of the legacy of the original film, the first movie that had an all-Black cast that was successful worldwide. The film wasn’t about social justice or civil unrest. “It was about family and love and doing the right thing,” Murphy said. “These amazing images of Black kings and queens and princesses and all that stuff.” He said he wanted to honor those aspects of the original film in the sequel.
Brewer, who was 17 when the first film came out and now has teen kids himself, agreed. “The original film is so beloved, how are you going to top it?” he said. “For me, the best thing to do was focus on the soul of the movie. When I first shot Eddie and Arsenio in a frame, it made me emotional just to see them back together again.”
“Coming 2 America” revisits some of the same themes from the first movie about true love, tradition and class, and for adults like Brewer, place them in a fresh light.
The sequel is packed with many key original players from the 1988 film including Shari Headley as Akeem’s wife and Queen Lisa; James Earl Jones as Akeem’s dad, King Jaffe Joffer; John Amos as Lisa’s dad and proud fastfood chain owner Cleo McDowell; Paul Bates as Akeem’s singing assistant Oha and Louie Anderson as eager fastfood employee Maurice. Even Vanessa Bell Calloway, who shot a brief but memorable scene in “Coming to America” as Akeem’s compliant arranged wife Imani Izzi, returns, ready to bark again for a few laughs. (Eriq La Salle, who played Lisa’s self-absorbed, sexist boyfriend Daryl Jenks in the original film, reportedly had scheduling conflicts and couldn’t make the sequel.)
But the sequel also provides moments for a raft of newcomers, including Tracy Morgan as Lavelle’s protective uncle; Leslie Jones as Lavelle’s lascivious mom and Wesley Snipes as a threatening general of a rival African nation to Zamunda. Both Murphy and Hall, as shown in the trailers, also reprise popular characters such as singer Randy Watson, Rev. Brown and the barbershop elders.
Brewer admitted it was a tricky balance between old and new, a balance he hoped they got right. “We didn’t want to trample too much on the original, but at the same time, we wanted to build on the mythology the first movie had,” he said.
One of the best callbacks involves a touching scene between Cleo and Akeem near the end of the film in the back of a McDowell’s restaurant based in Zamunda.
“Seeing them together,” said Hall, “was special. I love what John Amos has done for Black people, the dignity he has displayed in different roles. Seeing him that day really warmed my heart.”
The key new protagonist is Fowler’s Lavelle, who grew up in in Queens, New York, unaware he was blood of royalty until Akeem shows up. The script deliberately does not turn Lavelle into an over-the-top Murphy clone. Instead, Fowler largely plays his character in a grounded way.
“You may have this expectation that he be just as funny as Eddie,” Brewer said. “Though Jermaine is funny, that’s a big load to carry. I think it was important we have him planted in the real world. He goes to Zamunda as a fish out of water.” From there, it becomes a familiar generational battle between tradition versus modernity.
“Coming 2 America” is available on Amazon Prime.