Coming to America (1988)

The piece praises the film's humor that still holds up and its positive, subversive portrayal of African characters and culture.

The critic praises the film as slick and funny, crediting director Landis for harnessing Eddie Murphy's talent through superb comic timing, a satirical edge, and his gift for mimicry, which elevates it despite a predictable storyline.

The critic finds the film entertaining thanks to strong performances from Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall and James Earl Jones, who help overcome predictable plotting. Landis delivers reliable laughs through confident execution rather than originality.

The review calls it a disarmingly sweet fish-out-of-water comedy with heart and fresh comedic shtick from Murphy and Hall in multiple roles.

The critic finds the script less clever than it thinks it is, but notes that Murphy carries the picture with aplomb and delivers funny cameos thanks to make-up; the supporting cast, including cameos from Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy, provides highlights.

The movie is a hollow and wearying fairy tale that wastes its talented all-Black cast and Eddie Murphy's restraint on scatology, with an anemic TV-skit screenplay and pointless multiple-character impersonations that stall the action. Landis directs a plentiful waste of time and money, relying on fuzzy satire and reaction shots for laughs in an ultimately mortifying effort.

The critic finds the film a bland sitcom that wastes Eddie Murphy's talents and John Landis's sensibilities in a dull-witted screenplay and flat direction.

The film has a promising title and premise about an African prince seeking a bride in New York but suffers from a screenplay that feels underdeveloped and prioritizes quick gags over romantic comedy structure. Landis and the writers lean into mildly funny situations rather than sustaining the central idea, with Murphy's innocent prince standing out amid the short attention span of the script.