Coming to America

Name: Coming to America
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Released: June 29, 1988
Duration: 116 min
Rating: 47
Cast: Eddie Murphy

1988

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 135 Ratings

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8.2

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8.2	User Score Universal acclaim based on 135 Ratings

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Coming To America

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Movie Details & Credits

Paramount Pictures | Release Date: June 29, 1988 | R

Starring: Eddie Murphy

Summary: A very wealthy and pampered African prince comes to America in search of a bride. Accompanied by his closest companion, he quickly finds a job, new friends, new digs, new enemies - and lots of trouble. (Paramount Pictures)

Director: John Landis

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy, Romance

Rating: R

Runtime: 116 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Brad Laidman

Eddie Murphy does everything in this movie successfully. Coming To America remains his most personal work and a great argument that a movie can be decent and wholesome despite having enough profanity to make Bill Cosby lose sleep. A perfect argument for Eddie Murphy as decent guy even without the fame and fortune. Not that he's planning on giving it back though. Read full review

Mick LaSalle

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]

Jay Carr

The romantic stuff is tepid. Luckily, his onscreen buddy, Hall, never strays far. Coming to America is at its best when they're playing off each other, and not just as the prince and his buddy. [29 Jun 1988, p.69]

Gavin Bainbridge

Landis' latest keeps you laughing not with it's originality (of which there is little) but with it's confidence to out-joke it's predecessors on this much-trodden ground. Read full review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Murphy takes on a softer edge than usual this time: the plot recalls a Jeanette MacDonald operetta of the Depression, the mythical African country looks like a Beverly Hills fever dream, and, true to Murphy's idealized black middle-class view of things, everybody gets what he wants without much fuss or sacrifice, and virtually the only poor people in evidence are white. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

Coming to America starts on a bathroom joke, quickly followed by a gag about private parts, then wanders in search of something equally original for Eddie Murphy to do for another couple of hours. It's a true test for loyal fans. Read full review

Jay Scott

In past celluloid lives Eddie Murphy has been responsible for a handful of the most popular movies ever made, which explains why he has been able to bring Coming to America to your neighborhood theatre with its misogyny, technical ineptitude and witlessness intact.

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User Reviews

shod3030

Jun 5, 2017

Eddie Murphy at his best. This my all-time favorite movie. I have maybe watched this film over 100 time, and at one point I knew all the lines word for word. Arsenio Hall, and James Earl Jones serves as great supporting character in this classic coming of age movie.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

KellyJelly

Nov 7, 2019

One of the best comedy/dramas of the late 80’s! An all black cast made an instant classic!

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

gracjanski

Jan 17, 2021

Definitively a good movies. Especially the humour is top. The story is also interesting, but simple and the moral of the story is so political correct. Acting was top.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

survivorfan989

Apr 23, 2013

A decent 80's Comedy that has taken me a while to see and I'm not sure why as I do love a good Eddie Murphy flick. He's had better but its nice to see some of his earlier work. It has some good laughs thanks to Eddie & Arsenio Hall mostly but the cast as a whole were very funny. Story is aA decent 80's Comedy that has taken me a while to see and I'm not sure why as I do love a good Eddie Murphy flick. He's had better but its nice to see some of his earlier work. It has some good laughs thanks to Eddie & Arsenio Hall mostly but the cast as a whole were very funny. Story is a little predictable but still quite funny and it showed what was to come for characters like The Klumps that Eddie would play in the future. Overall a good film and a must-see for Eddie fans!… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

VincentV.

Jul 17, 2008

The movie's story isn't that original, but Eddie Murphy delivers a good job and the most jokes are quite funny.

1 of 1 users found this helpful

r96sk

Mar 5, 2021

I didn't enjoy it as much as expected, but 'Coming to America' is nevertheless still good.

Eddie Murphy is unsurprisingly the star of the film. Any notable scenes include him, which isn't a shock given the obvious and the fact he plays a number of characters; on that note, only Akeem amusedI didn't enjoy it as much as expected, but 'Coming to America' is nevertheless still good.

Eddie Murphy is unsurprisingly the star of the film. Any notable scenes include him, which isn't a shock given the obvious and the fact he plays a number of characters; on that note, only Akeem amused me - the barber shop guys... not so much, to be honest.

James Earl Jones (Jaffe), John Amos (Cleo) and Frankie Faison (landlord) are the most noteworthy in terms of those away from the lead, while there is even an appearance from someone named Samuel L. Jackson - what ever happened to that guy?!

I wanted/anticipated much stronger humour, if only due to Murphy's presence. I can't say I laughed that much, which is disappointing. The romance parts are probably more memorable to me, even if it's kinda familiar in those regards. With all that said, I can see why loads thoroughly enjoy this - it just didn't fully land on me, personally.

Still worth viewing and I'm very much up to see the sequel.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Jch29

Mar 5, 2021

Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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