
Coming to America (B), directed by John Landis, is a classic fish out of  water comedy with a contemporary twist. Eddie Murphy plays the naïf  Prince Akeem of the fictional African country Zamunda who travels with  his best friend (Arsenio Hall) to New York undercover in order to find  his bride. Murphy is committed to the role as basically the straight man  of the comedy but gets to unleash his inner stand-up by playing a bunch  of supporting characters under clever prosthetics including the  eccentric denizens of a Queens barber shop. Although there’s a  through-line of a plot, it’s really a film of episodes representing  varying levels of amusement. Landis does some effective world building  with the exotic locations on multiple continents. Kudos to Murphy for  lots of funny notions and for delivering some wry commentary amidst the  madcap adventure. Ultimately there’s more lark than bite, but it’s  mostly pleasant fun. 
 
		 
		
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