Taglines: A sequel is in the heir.
Coming 2 America Movie Storyline. Sensing that trouble is brewing in the African kingdom of Zamunda, three long and prosperous decades after Prince Akeem and Lisa McDowell’s opulent wedding in Coming to America (1988), King Jaffe Joffer and Semmi drop a bombshell. As a result, with three lovely daughters and no sons, it seems that Prince Akeem is with his back to the wall, as General Izzi, the megalomaniac despot of the neighbouring country of Nexdoria, dreams of seizing power through a political marriage of convenience.
Now, newly crowned King Akeem and his trusted confidante, Semmi, have to return where it all began, the bustling borough of Queens, New York, to retrieve Lavelle: the illegitimate son unsuspecting Akeem never knew existed. Can the prince of Zamunda restore peace and stability in less than a week?
Coming 2 America is a 2021 American comedy film that serves as a sequel to the 1988 film Coming to America starring Eddie Murphy. The film is directed by Craig Brewer from a screenplay by Kenya Barris, Barry W. Blaustein, and David Sheffield, and a story by Blaustein, Sheffield, and Justin Kanew, based on characters created by Murphy. It stars Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, KiKi Layne, Shari Headley, Teyana Taylor, Wesley Snipes, and James Earl Jones.
Originally to be theatrically released by Paramount Pictures, the film’s distribution rights were sold to Amazon Studios because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amazon released it digitally via Amazon Prime Video on March 4, 2021. Coming 2 America received mixed reviews from critics.
About the Story
On the 30th anniversary of his wedding with Lisa McDowell, Prince Akeem of Zamunda is summoned before his dying father, King Jaffe Joffer. Jaffe and his shaman Baba reveal to a baffled Akeem that he had sired a son during his first visit in Queens, New York, after his aide Semmi had enticed two women into spending the night with them while Akeem was still searching for his future queen.
One of them inadvertently drugged Akeem, resulting in a tryst he did not remember. As Zamundian tradition demands that only a male successor can inherit the throne, and Akeem has fathered only daughters, Akeem is forced to travel back to Queens to retrieve his son. If not, Zamunda could face a hostile takeover by Zamunda’s militaristic neighbor nation Nexdoria, whose dictator, General Izzi (the brother of Akeem’s original arranged bride-to-be), has been pushing for Akeem’s eldest daughter Meeka into marrying his foppish son, Idi.
Following King Jaffe’s funeral and Akeem’s ascension to king, he and Semmi travel back to Queens to find his illegitimate son. During a lighthearted reunion with the barbershop gang they bonded with, head barber Mr. Clarence informs them that the son in question is Lavelle Junson, a ticket scalper who hustles outside of Madison Square Garden.
After an awkward reunion with Lavelle’s mother Mary, Akeem takes them back to Zamunda, much to his family’s displeasure. When General Izzi learns of this, he drops by to introduce his daughter Bopoto to Lavelle as a last shot at laying claim to the throne of Zamunda, but in order to qualify as a royal prince, Lavelle first has to pass a series of traditional – and hazardous – tests.
Lavelle is at first highly reluctant to place himself in danger, but then bonds with Mirembe, a royal groomer, who tells him of Akeem’s quest to find his queen and encourages him to follow his own path. Lavelle then invites his uncle Reem, Mary’s streetwise brother, to Zamunda who coaches him on how to blend his urban upbringing with his new royal status. Lavelle gradually develops an understanding with Akeem’s family and, using his wits and some forced courage, he passes and is made Prince of Zamunda.
Coming 2 America (2021)
Directed by: Craig Brewer
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, KiKi Layne, Shari Headley, Teyana Taylor, Wesley Snipes, James Earl Jones
Screenplay by: Kenya Barris, Barry W. Blaustein, David Sheffield
Production Design by: Jefferson Sage
Cinematography by: Joe Williams
Film Editing by: David S. Clark, Billy Fox
Costume Design by: Ruth E. Carter
Set Decoration by: Douglas A. Mowat
Art Direction by: Kristen Sherwin, Thomas Valentine
Music by: Jermaine Stegall
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for crude and sexual content, language and drug content.
Distributed by: Amazon Studios
Release Date: March 4, 2021 (United States)
Visits: 28
