The Wasteland Reviewer

The Wasteland Gems: Coming to America (1988)

How do you choose what to watch on all those streaming services you have access to? There are so many options that it is just overwhelming. These services constantly release new content and overshadow all the great films from the past that are already there and ready to watch. Now there is The Wasteland Gems! Here is a great film on streaming right now that you should check out this weekend:

Coming to America (1988)

Just how popular was Eddie Murphy in the 1980s and into the 1990s? This young man blew up on Saturday Night Live like few had at such a young age and then his stand-up special Raw was an electric hit. He dove headlong into cinematic acting with impressive turns in 48 Hrs., Trading Places, and Beverly Hills Cop. These films made a global megastar and made him one of the most bankable performers this side of Schwarzenegger and Stallone in the 80s. Sure he had some not-so-great films like The Golden Child, but he had a vehicle raring to go that would change everyone’s perception of just how impressive his talents were. Coming to America.

What makes Murphy’s turn in Coming to America such a must-see experience? Well…probably because he has at least a half dozen different characters to enjoy! Long before The Nutty Professor, Murphy showed his range that would make him such a standout performer. His central turn as Prince Akeem is charming, empathetic, and hilarious. His comedic timing is excellent especially “YES…YES…F*** YOU TOO!”. But Akeem is not the only role that Murphy excels in. He has a few other roles too which set a tone for Murphy’s schtick moving forward. Randy Watson is an over-the-hill singer who gets a whole segment of the film to show off his strange singing style, his beer-belly, and wild head of hair. Murphy plays a few members of the barbershop crew but his role as Saul is certainly the best. He portrays an old Jewish man…you read that right. This man is hilarious and delivers a fantastic final gag at the end of the credits.

What about the rest of this stacked cast? Coming to America lives and breathes on its impressive ensemble. Arsenio Hall gets to have that same multi-role fun that Murphy does. Semmi is his main role who is only occasionally a good friend to Akeem. But his Reverend Brown is having a great time with his over-the-top preacher aesthetic. The most impressive supporting turns must be James Earl Jones and Madge Sinclair as the King and Queen of Zamunda (basically Wakanda in this comedic landscape). The aura that Jones and Sinclair bring to these roles is palpable. Garvelle Beauvais makes a fine on-screen partner for Murphy as their romance becomes the anchor for the film. John Amos (of Good Times fame) is fantastic as her father and the owner of his own McDonald’s knock-off that Akeem begins to work at. You even get an early Samuel L. Jackson performance as a man trying to hold-up the restaurant.

There is more to Coming to America than just the cast, right? This is a long comedy that gets filled out by this excellent cast. But the comedic writing is quite impressive, and the film has a good story at the core as Akeem tries to find true love as well as appreciation for other walks of life. The production design and costuming for Zamunda is quite incredible, which brings this fictional place to life with great authenticity. They even capture the greater New York City area to perfection as well. This is a little overlong (in that Judd Apatow comedy kind of way) but there is so much comedic gold here that you can sit back, relax, and stream this gem.

Coming to America is streaming on Peacock.