--- title: "Coming to America: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/coming-to-america/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/coming-to-america" critics_score: 51 critics_reviews: 9 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Coming to America (1988): what the critics said Critics' score 51 from 9 reviews: 4 positive, 1 mixed, 4 negative. The reviews split almost evenly, and the one thing nearly everyone agrees on is Eddie Murphy. Even critics who dislike the film credit his prince, played with more restraint and sweetness than they expect, and the warmer notices go further, praising his and Arsenio Hall’s turns in multiple roles under heavy make-up, James Earl Jones in support, and Landis’s brisk comic timing. Slant Magazine also singles out the film’s affectionate and unusual treatment of African characters. The argument is over the script. The negative reviews call it thin, predictable and closer to a string of television sketches than a romantic comedy, leaning on crude jokes early and reaction shots later; the Los Angeles Times goes furthest, calling it a waste of its cast. There is a pattern to the dissent: the notices from the film’s release are the harshest, while critics writing years later find the humour has held up better than anyone expected. ## Slant Magazine — Zeba Blay Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 28 June 2013. The piece praises the film's humor that still holds up and its positive, subversive portrayal of African characters and culture. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/summer-of-88-coming-to-america/) ## Time Out — SCu Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. 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. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/coming-to-america) ## Empire — Gavin Bainbridge Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 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. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/coming-america-review/) ## The AV Club — Nathan Rabin Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 13 June 2007. 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. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/trading-places-coming-to-america-1798202682) ## Radio Times — John Ferguson Rating 3/5. 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. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-2774ly/coming-to-america/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Duane Byrge Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 29 June 2017. 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. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/coming-america-review-1988-movie-1017600/) ## The New York Times — Vincent Canby Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 29 June 1988. 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. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/29/movies/review-film-african-prince-in-queens.html) ## Variety — Variety Staff Rating **. 31 December 1987. The film opens with crude jokes and struggles to find fresh material for Eddie Murphy beyond the initial premise. Murphy effectively portrays the sympathetic prince seeking independence, but the overall execution tests the patience of fans. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1987/film/reviews/coming-to-america-3-1200427624/) ## Los Angeles Times — Sheila Benson Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 29 June 1988. 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. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-06-29-ca-4869-story.html) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/coming-to-america.md