Paramount brings you another classic movie in their “I Love the 80’s” on DVD series.

Remember back when Eddie Murphy movies were funny? Need a minute? I’ll wait….

Before he started churning out hot crap like “The Adventures of Pluto Nash”, and the celluloid abortion known as “Norbit”, Eddie Murphy had an incredibly successful (and funny) standup and movie career. Toward the end of this great streak, which included such classics as “48 Hours”, “Trading Places”, “Beverly Hills Cop”, and “The Golden Child”, there came along a more family friendly movie called “Coming To America”.

This movie tells the story of Prince Akeem (Murphy) heir to the throne of Zamunda. He has everything he ever wanted. His father, the King (James Earl Jones), provides servants that are required to perform even the most menial tasks for him such as brushing his teeth and tying his shoes. On the morning of his 21st birthday, he rebels against the arranged marriage setup by his parents, and heads off to America with his friend Semi (Arsenio Hall) to find his bride.
 

Welcome to New York.

Special Features
– Bonus Limited Edition CD featuring music from Echo & The Bunnymen, INXS, Erasure, and a-ha.

– Original Theatrical Trailer.

Highlights
-Multiple hilarious characters played by both Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall.

– Several celebrity cameos including Cuba Gooding Jr., Louie Anderson and Samuel L. Jackson.

– A great scene featuring two characters from Murphy’s earlier film “Trading Places”.
 

Starring Eddie Murphy, Eddie Murphy, Eddie Murphy,
Arsenio Hall, Arsenio Hall, and Arsenio Hall.

Overall
“Coming To America” has a great story and offers a ton of laughs. It marks the first time that Eddie Murphy plays multiple characters in the same movie, which has since become common place for him. Every character is great and the dialogue is sharp and funny. Towards the end, the film slows down a bit and turns into a standard romantic comedy, but still has enough solid jokes to keep you laughing. I still find myself quoting lines from this movie twenty plus years after its release. It really shows the range of Eddie Murphy (and Arsenio Hall, for that matter), it’s a shame his talents aren’t being used today as they were in this classic film. If you find yourself put off by most of Mr. Murphy’s recent efforts (and I pray that you do), definitely relive the glory days and check out “Coming To America”.
 

A Prince finds his Princess.

Worth watching for this one reason: Eddie Murphy as Randy Watson performing an incredibly horrible rendition of “Greatest Love of All” backed by an equally horrible band called Sexual Chocolate. Can I get an Amen!!

ComicsOnline gives Coming To America 4 out of 5 McDowell Big Micks.