Coming to America

Play trailer

2:38

Coming to America

R

1988

1h 56m

Comedy

Romance

Adventure

Drama

Fantasy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

71%

Tomatometer

56 Reviews

85%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) is the prince of a wealthy African country and wants for nothing, except a wife who will love him in spite of his title. To escape an arranged marriage, Akeem flees to America accompanied by his persnickety sidekick, Semmi (Arsenio Hall), to find his queen. Disguised as a foreign student working in fast food, he romances Lisa (Shari Headley), but struggles with revealing his true identity to her and his marital intentions to his king father (James Earl Jones).

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Critics Consensus

Eddie Murphy was in full control at this point, starkly evident in Coming to America's John Landis' coasting direction.

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Derek Malcolm

Guardian

07/22/2021

Subtlety is not Mr Murphy's strong point, but on the, whole his spiky charm saves both him and the movie.

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David Robinson

The Times (UK)

07/22/2021

John Landis directs the slim affair at a riskily leisured pace; but with some enjoyment from supporting characters such as James Earl Jones as the King and Eriq LaSalle as the Prince's rival for spunky Shari Headley.

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Duane Byrge

The Hollywood Reporter

01/29/2019

This comedy is generally tame and sappy... what we get is homogenized Eddie Murphy, drained of his kinetic comic charm and smiling sass.

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Josh Mooney

Movieline

Apr 8

Director John Landis, who has given new meaning to the word "cynical" in Hollywood, helms the film listlessly.

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Herb Boyd

The Crisis

11/27/2023

What a pleasure it is to see such a glamorous array of black people on screen.

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Bill Chambers

Film Freak Central

03/03/2022

3/4

Even Akeem's gentle African lilt seems like Murphy trying to distance himself from his star persona, if not demonstrate his range.

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Paul D.

@MoroseMusician Mar 6

I saw it in a theater when it was first released, and I have watched it on DVD a couple of times much more recently. It’s a classic: it set a standard of excellence in its genre and it has stood the test of time. Eddie, Arsenio, Madge, James Earl Jones, Shari, and all the other actors work together beautifully to create an utterly charming romantic comedy that leaves audiences with smiles on their faces.

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Xavier S

@Motivated_Reviewer1 Jan 30

Coming To America Is Peak Comedy, As Well As One Of My Top 10 Favorite Movies Of All Time! This is one of the most quoted movies of 80’s comedy and has so many great lines like "Hey Who Gonna Clean Up All These Flowers" and "You See I Love The Lawd" and "Yes, Yes, F**k You Too." McDowell’s and all of the barber shop scenes are so Iconic as well. Eddie Murphy is so good in this film and the rest of the cast is great too. RIP to James Earl Jones And John Amos. This movie obviously is a 10/10

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khoi P.

@Cowboykhoi Dec 4

Classic movie, I really enjoyed the creativity of the film.

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tommy J

@RT55566390 Nov 24

Ohhh man. This is a classic comedy.

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Zema K

@RT34876047 Nov 17

Coming to America (1988) is Eddie Murphy at his comedic peak—playing multiple outrageous characters while delivering a surprisingly heartfelt love story. Prince Akeem’s quest for genuine romance in Queens blends sharp satire, absurd humor, and real sincerity. It’s both a laugh-out-loud comedy and a charming fairy tale, cementing its place as a classic of the 1980s.

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Geoff M

@madsongeoff Oct 26

At its release was unlike any other film before with such a broad all black cast. This film is funny and always sticks to the main character's heart lead goal

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John Landis

Director

Eddie Murphy

Prince Akeem

Arsenio Hall

Semmi

John Amos

Cleo McDowell

James Earl Jones

King Jaffe Joffer

Shari Headley

Lisa McDowell

Coming to America: Official Clip - The King Has Entered the Building

1:50

Coming to America: Official Clip - New Digs

0:57

Coming to America: Official Clip - Unhappy Meal

1:35

Coming to America: Official Clip - Miss Black Awareness Pageant

1:43

Coming to America: Official Clip - Cassius Clay or Muhammad Ali

1:02

Coming to America: Official Clip - Sparring Session

1:28

Coming to America: Official Clip - Akeem Meets Lisa

0:59

Coming to America: Official Clip - Akeem Talks Football

0:48

Coming to America: Official Clip - The Barbershop

1:19

Coming to America: Official Clip - Semmi Writes Home

0:56

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Preview: Rotten Tomatoes is Wrong About... Coming to America

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Coming to America: Trailer 1

2:38

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Synopsis

Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) is the prince of a wealthy African country and wants for nothing, except a wife who will love him in spite of his title. To escape an arranged marriage, Akeem flees to America accompanied by his persnickety sidekick, Semmi (Arsenio Hall), to find his queen. Disguised as a foreign student working in fast food, he romances Lisa (Shari Headley), but struggles with revealing his true identity to her and his marital intentions to his king father (James Earl Jones).

Director: John Landis
Producer: George Folsey Jr., Robert D. Wachs
Screenwriter: Barry W. Blaustein, David Sheffield
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount, Eddie Murphy Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 29, 1988, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $128.1M
Runtime: 1h 56m
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)