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R| 1 hr. 56 min.

Plot Summary
Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) is the prince of a wealthy African country and wants for nothing, except a wife who will love him in spite of his title. To escape an arranged marriage, Akeem flees to America accompanied by his persnickety sidekick, Semmi (Arsenio Hall), to find his queen. Disguised as a foreign student working in fast food, he romances Lisa (Shari Headley), but struggles with revealing his true identity to her and his marital intentions to his king father (James Earl Jones).

Cast: Eddie Murphy , Arsenio Hall , John Amos , James Earl Jones , Shari Headley , Madge Sinclair , Eriq La Salle , Allison Dean

Director: John Landis

Genres: Comedy

Distributor: Paramount Pictures

Coming to America (1988)

Release Date: June 29th, 1988|1 hr. 56 min.

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critic reviews ( 3 )
fan reviews ( 1 )
  • 75
    Mick LaSalle San Francisco Chronicle

    Eddie Murphy's latest picture, Coming to America, is a harmless, fairly amusing comedy that will delight Eddie Murphy fans and keep everyone else mildly entertained. [30 Jun 1988, p.E1] show more

  • 50
    USA Today

    There are some laughs, Murphy is appealing and the ancient theme of love conquering all is beguiling. But America's mean-spiritedness lingers after its pastel-pretty ending. show more

  • 88
    Gene Siskel Chicago Tribune

    It's a sweet, oft-told story, and Murphy and Hall add a number of very sharp supporting roles-hidden by makeup-to add spice to the general level of gentleness. [1 Jul 1988, p.A] show more

See all critic reviews on metacritic.com
  • June 12, 2008 blackatreyu
    Report This User

    Coming to America is the hallmark of African American humor that appeals to a mainstream audience that still considers it as one the funniest movies of all time. Who hasn't seen it? Better yet, who hasn't quoted it? The movie's intention is to use risible but outlandish humor, while not especially good in forming an original romantic comedy, this movie deserves accolades for asserting cultural motifs - most notably, the barbershop scenes and the beginning courtship dance for the prince's political marriage. These scenes can rarely be found on major motion pictures before Coming to America, and isn't re-imagined in Hollywood until much later. Coming to America is an 80's original and helped define that movie era. Don't leave it to the Washington Post or the New York Times to critique this classic, or in the words of the Jewish customer at the barbershop at the end of the movie, "Whadaya know from funny!". -Kalimah A. Priforce

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'Coming to America' McDowell's Yelp Page: Fictional Fast Food Restaurant Gets Reviewed

Posted by Jessie Heyman on December 29, 2011

How do savvy New Yorkers prove they really, really love a movie? By making a Yelp page for its fictional fast-food joint and write faux-serious reviews, of course!...

Best Music Scenes in Movies: 50 Clips That Totally Rocked Our World

Posted by Rose Martelli on March 2, 2011

They say music soothes the savage beast, but it seems to us that the best musically-driven movie scenes do just the opposite: They get our toes tapping, our hands clapping and our rumps shaking. ...

Best Music Scenes in Movies [50-26]

Posted by Moviefone Staff on March 2, 2011

SEE LIST HOME PAGE 50. 'Adventures in Babysitting' (1987) The scene: The gang sings 'The Babysitting Blues' "Nobody gets out of this place without singing the blues," says legendary musici...

Famous Movie Locations: McDowell's From 'Coming to America' (Queens, NY)

Posted by Jason Newman on September 11, 2010

Even casual fans of John Landis's 1988 classic 'Coming To America' will recognize the "Golden Arcs" of Cleo McDowell's (John Amos) eponymous fast-food chain. The McDonald's competitor -- "They got ...

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