Coming to America
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| Coming to America | |
|---|---|
| |
| Directed by | John Landis |
| Produced by | Leslie Belzberg George Folsey Jr. Mark Lipsky |
| Written by | Eddie Murphy (story) David Sheffield (screenplay) Barry W. Blaustein (screenplay) |
| Starring | Eddie Murphy Arsenio Hall Shari Headley James Earl Jones John Amos Eriq La Salle |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | June 29, 1988 (USA) |
| Running time | 116 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $28,000,000 |
| IMDb profile | |
Coming to America is a 1988 romantic comedy film directed by John Landis. The screenplay was written by David Sheffield, Barry W. Blaustein, and Eddie Murphy, based on an idea and an original script by Art Buchwald.<ref> Thane Rosenbaum wrote, "In 1995, the syndicated columnist Art Buchwald prevailed after a seven-year legal battle against Paramount Pictures, claiming that he had submitted the idea, and the original script, for the Eddie Murphy film, Coming to America, withouet ver being properly compensated or acknowledged for his efforts. The trial court eventually agreed with Buchwald, although the damage award that he received was considerably less than what he had sought, and even less than what he eventually had to pay out in legal fees. The Myth of Moral Justice, page 182.</ref> Murphy also stars in the film along with James Earl Jones, Arsenio Hall and Madge Sinclair.
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[edit] Plot Summary
Eddie Murphy stars as Akeem, the Prince of a fictitious African nation called Zamunda. The country is a monarchy ruled by King Jaffe Joffeur (played by James Earl Jones), and is home to the Prince's royal servant, Semmi (Arsenio Hall).
Faced with the prospect of an arranged marriage to a woman he has never met, Akeem pleads with his father, the King, to be allowed to find a bride of his own choosing.
In the process, Akeem wishes to travel outside of Zamunda after living there since birth. His father misunderstands him and believes that the Prince wishes to "sow his royal oats" before settling down with his arranged bride.
After being granted a forty-day vacation from his father, Akeem reveals to Semmi that his true intention is to find a bride in America. The prince and his royal servant flip a coin, choosing New York City, New York over Los Angeles, California, and Akeem picks the borough of Queens, believing it to be the best place to look for potential bride for a king.
Akeem and Semmi pretend to be African university students in order to fit in. At first, Akeem meets with a series of potential mates, but they all appear to have personal issues. At a "Black Awareness Week" event, Akeem sees Lisa McDowell (Shari Headley) giving a speech and becomes interested in her. Lisa's father, Cleo McDowell (John Amos), is the owner of a fast food restaurant called McDowell's, which is being investigated by McDonald's Corporation for copying the entire establishment. In an attempt to get to know Lisa, Akeem seeks employment for Semmi and himself at the restaurant and are placed on sanitation duty. Darryl Jenks (Eriq La Salle), who is Lisa's current boyfriend, is the son of the rich inventor of "Soul Glo", a jheri curl product. Akeem later starts getting respect from the McDowells and Darryl after intercepting and defeating a hold-up man (Samuel L. Jackson).
Cleo treats Darryl well because he hopes his daughter will marry into wealth. Darryl upsets Lisa by having Cleo announce that the two are engaged without proposing to her first. Lisa seeks comfort by talking to Akeem, who tells Lisa that he was a goat herder back in Zamunda. It takes a while to win her affection, but eventually he does, and they fall in love. When King Jaffe and his entourage come searching for his son, Cleo discovers that Akeem is a prince and begins to treat him well. When Lisa finds out who Akeem really is, she becomes upset because of his deception. King Jaffe tells her that Akeem had just come to "sow his royal oats" and had a bride waiting back in Zamunda, which upsets her even further. Akeem confronts her and reaffirms his love for her. Lisa, however, is not confident to pursue the relationship any further and bids him a tearful farewell. Back in Zamunda the royal wedding proceeds, with Akeem still assuming his bride will be the woman chosen for him by his parents. To his surprise, the bride is Lisa, having been brought to Zamunda after the King cancelled the original arranged marriage and, it is presumed, the Queen persuaded Lisa to marry Akeem.
[edit] Zamunda
Zamunda is a fictional African country that is famous as being the home country of Prince Akeem (and other characters) from the film Coming to America, also known as The Prince of Zamunda in some areas.
[edit] Government
The country is a monarchy ruled by King Jaffe Joffer, married to Queen Aoleon. The heir to the throne is their only son Prince Akeem, married to Princess Lisa (nee McDowell).
[edit] Recreation
The most popular mainstream sport in Zamunda is Football (Soccer), as explained by Akeem when he attended the basketball game. Polo is also popular amongst the upper classes, and Semmi is shown dressed in Polo playing attire. However, Zamunda is also home to many tradtional African sports, such as the stick fighting Akeem and Semmi engage in.
[edit] Cast
- Eddie Murphy as Prince Akeem/Clarence/Randy Watson/Saul/Sanyu
- Arsenio Hall as Semmi/Morris/Reverend Brown
- James Earl Jones as King Jaffe Joffer
- John Amos as Cleo McDowell
- Madge Sinclair as Queen Aoleon
- Shari Headley as Lisa McDowell
- Paul Bates as Oha
- Eriq La Salle as Darryl Jenks
- Frankie Faison as Landlord
- Vanessa Bell Calloway as Imani Izzi
- Louie Anderson as Mauric
- Allison Dean as Patrice McDowell
- Sheila Johnson as Lady-in-Waiting
- Jake Steinfeld as Cab Driver
- Calvin Lockhart as Colonel Izzi
- Michele Watley as Bather
- Cuba Gooding, Jr. as Boy in Barber Shop
- Ralph Bellamy as Randolph Duke
- Don Ameche as Mortimer Duke
- Samuel L. Jackson as Hold-up Man
[edit] Lawsuit
The film was the subject of the Buchwald v. Paramount lawsuit, filed by Art Buchwald in 1990 against the film's producers on the grounds that the film's idea was stolen from a 1982 script that Paramount had optioned from Buchwald. Buchwald won the lawsuit and was awarded damages; Paramount settled with Buchwald, unwilling to risk an appeal.
[edit] Quotes
- Music played during the bathroom scene between 04:47-05:14. Additional scenario voice "The royal penis is cleaned, Your Highness!" is done by by Victoria Dillard
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- "She's your queeeeeeeeeen to be..."
- "Tell me you did not love me when you thought I was a goat herder." (Akeem to Lisa)
- "Listen....REAL Americans!" (Akeem excitedly says when hearing the guys in the My-T Sharp barber shop screaming and cursing at each other)
- "We seek meager accommodations." (Akeem tells the landlord of housing project while all dressed up in royal attire).
- "This is America, Jack...you say something about my daughter again and I'm gonna break my foot off in your royal ass." (Cleo McDowell to the King)
- "Bark like a dog...a big dog...hop on one leg...make a noise like an orangutang..." (Akeem to arranged wife, who proceeds to do exactly as he says)
- "The royal penis is clean, your highness." (Bathers to Akeem)
- Akeem: "Ohar, it is my 21st birthday, do you think just for once I could go to the bathroom by myself?" Ohar: "Most amusing, sir. Wipers!!!"
- King Joffe: "Do not alert him to my presence. I will deal with him myself." (evoking James Earl Jones' Star Wars persona, Darth Vader)
- "I have recently been placed in charge of garbage... When you think of garbage, think of Akeem!" (Akeem to Lisa)
- Queen: "I only want our son to be happy". King: "Even if she agreed, they still could not marry, it is against the tradition". Queen: "Well, it is a stupid tradition". King: "Who am I to change it?". Queen: "I thought you were the King!".
[edit] Trivia
- This film includes a cameo of two characters from the movie Trading Places, another Eddie Murphy/John Landis film. At the end of Trading Places, the Duke brothers, Randolph and Mortimer, lose their entire fortunes at the hands of Murphy's character. In this film, the brothers are now homeless and living on the streets. Prince Akeem gives them a paper bag filled with a large sum of money, enough to get them off the streets again.
- Like many of Eddie Murphy's films, Coming to America features Murphy in several different roles, this time paired with Arsenio Hall. For example, Hall plays Reverend Brown, who introduces Randy Watson (Murphy) and his band Sexual Chocolate, who perform a terrible rendition of Whitney Houston's song "Greatest Love of All" at the "Black Awareness Rally." In the famous barbershop scene, Murphy and Hall (in heavy makeup) play the elderly barbers Clarence and Morris, who engage in furious debate with Sweets (Clint Smith) about the boxing skills of Joe Louis and Rocky Marciano rather than attending to Akeem's hair. The barber scene is especially notable because Murphy plays both Akeem and Clarence simultaneously, effectively giving himself a haircut. Murphy also plays the Jewish old man in the barbershop, displaying his marvellous talent for the Yiddish impersonation.
- Eriq La Salle, as Darryl, briefly breaks the fourth wall in the scene where Patrice lets him come through the window of her room.
- Musician Karl Denson is a member of Sexual Chocolate.
- Actor John Amos was in a McDonald's commercial in the 1970s.
- Cuba Gooding Jr.'s first ever role in a motion picture as the boy getting his hair trimmed at the barber shop.
- Because of the obvious name similarity, the film's producers had to obtain permission from McDonald's before using the name McDowell's. The scenes of McDowell's were actually filmed at a Wendy's restaurant, located at 85-07 Queens Boulevard in Elmhurst, Queens.
- Actors James Earl Jones and Madge Sinclair performed as king and queen again in Disney's Lion King. That role was also Sinclair's last, before she died of leukemia.
- One of the Zamunda scenes is recreated in the 1997 Busta Rhymes video Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See.
- Soul Glo has entered the English and American vernacular as a name for any jheri curl product.
- Famed South African chorus, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, sings Mbube during the opening sequence (the song is known as The Lion Sleeps Tonight in America). The group has gone on to record several different versions of Mbube; however, the version heard in Coming to America has not been released on its soundtrack or on CD as of 2006.
- Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon was one of the three "rose bearers".
- Actor Jamie Foxx played the soldier who opened the door to the back room in the engagement scene.
- Samuel L. Jackson played the man who tried to rob the McDowell's restaurant at gunpoint in one of his early roles.
- Stand-up comic Louie Anderson plays the McDowell's clerk in the same scene as Samuel L. Jackson.
- In 2006's "World Series of Pop Culture" on VH-1, one of the pop culture-obsessed teams competing named themselves Sexual Chocolate as an homage to this film.
- John Landis's calling card, See You Next Wednesday, appears on a science-fiction movie poster in the subway station after Lisa storms off the train and Akeem follows her.
- WWE wrestler Mark Henry was nicknamed 'Sexual Chocolate' in a reference to the film.
- Paula Abdul arranged the wedding dance scene.
- Snoop Dogg's new single, "That's That Shit" featuring R. Kelly, samples the music in the scene where Eddie Murphy is getting washed by female servants in the lavatory.
[edit] References
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