Coming To America

April 18th, 2018 by Proprietor

I have repeated a few times that a civilization or society that cannot laugh at itself is a dead civilization or society. Not dead in the fact that people are dying physically, but dead in that they have lost their soul. Even when comedy might be viewed as offensive, sometimes the offense is personal, but due to social media, that personal offense can be magnified a thousand fold.

In the mid to late 1980s, Eddie Murphy was the undisputed king of comedy. With a series of hits like Trading Places, & Beverly Hills Cop, Eddie had a penchant to take a peek at lives foibles and use exaggeration in the form of stereotypes to make people laugh. As the PC crowd grew, Eddie’s carrier faded. One of Eddie’s biggest hits was Coming To America.

Coming To America was the story of Prince Akeem, who’s father, King Jaffe Joffer, played by James Earl Jones, was the king of the fictional country of Zamunda. The royal family was obviously wealthy. The Prince enjoyed being woken by an orchestra playing soft music, and every detail was attended to by another person, including wiping his backside. Whether Zamunda was exploiting it’s natural resources or some form of Wakanda or just a typical kleptocracy, it does not matter. Akeem has turned 21 and according to tradition he must marry. His bride had already been chosen for him and was raised from birth to be a queen. As beautiful as she was, Akeem understood there was something wrong with the tradition, and wanted a woman to love him for who he was, not what he was. If she even loved him.

Akeem persuades his father to give him some time to find his bride. Jaffe blinded by his own countries tradition, cannot conceive of the fact that Akeem really wants to find a bride to marry. Jaffe mistakenly thinks his son wants to go somewhere and sew his royal oats. So Jaffe gives Akeem 40 days. Akeem with his companion Simmi, played by Arsenio Hall, decide to travel to America. A land so vast and rich with opportunity. Whether it is Los Angels or New York is decided by a coin toss. Throughout the entire movie, how rich and important Akeem is usually is displayed on the currency of his country. Akeem’s likeness is featured on the coin and $100 pound note.

Murphy and Hall play a variety of characters throughout the entire movie, some based on caricatures and others are downright based on racial stereotypes. Murphy himself plays a white Jewish man with an accent and is obviously a stereotype. Yet, it was taken as funny back in the 1980s.

Akeem and Simmi acquire a cab after they arrive, and ask the cab driver to take them to Queens. The driver questions why they want to go to Queens, and not stay on Manhattan. Then Akeem insists on staying in a very common part. Turns out they stay in a very poor neighborhood that is crime ridden. When they go to get an apartment, their stuff is stolen.

Akeem and Simmi go to a Black Awareness rally on the advice of the barber who owns a shop below the low rent apartment building the two live in. There Akeem sees Lisa McDowell, played by Shari Headley. Her father Cleo, played by John Amos, is the owner of a local restaurant that is obviously a rip off of McDonald’s, called McDowell’s. After realizing Lisa is the woman he seeks, Akeem launches a plan. Both he and Simmi get a job at the restaurant. At first they are looked down upon as just poor African students. Lisa’s boyfriend, Darryl Jenks, played by Eriq La Salle, looks down upon them as if they were animals. Darryl is the prince of Soul Glow, a gerri curl product his father invented. Darryl lives a luxurious and entitled life. Cleo is always stressing hard work, since he came from nothing to earn wealth. Cleo wants the best for his daughter, who begins to understand how much of a jerk and exact opposite Darryl is when he tries to arrange a marriage with her father.

Then Akeem and Lisa begin spending a lot of time together, which disappoints her father. Cleo loves his daughter and does not want her to snuggle the way he and his wife struggled. Marrying Darryl is a ticket to an easy life. Neither of them know Akeem is beyond wealth they can imagine.

Simmi likes luxury though, and uses “pocket change” to get the apartment remodeled in a very luxurious way. Akeem is upset, because it could spoil his chances with Lisa. They trade apartments with the building owner. Then Akeem takes the rest of the money, and gives it to two bums on the street. If you are a fan of Murphy’s comedies, the two bums are played by Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy who reprise their rolls from Trading Places as Mortimer and Randolph Duke.

Simmi decides to wire Zamunda for more money. He is persuaded to wire for a cool million by the clerk, who think’s he is crazy. This sets into motion, the conflict. Jaffe alarmed by the request comes to America to find his son. When it is revealed Akeem is a prince, Lisa has reservations about him. Akeem proposes marriage, but Lisa feels he is just too different from her. The movie ends happily, as Lisa does show up in the wedding dress intended for Akeem’s chosen bride.

Watching Coming To America might make some people uncomfortable or mad, some will look upon it and judge it anachronistically, and not see the humor. Unfortunately too many comedies these days are so one dimensional and use stale recycled jokes, it seems unoriginal. Most people might laugh at situations, but not so much at other things.

Thanks for stopping by.