Coming to America

"This summer, Prince Akeem discovers America."

1988 1h 57m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 4,910

ComedyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An African prince decides it’s time for him to find a princess... and his mission leads him and his most loyal friend to Queens, New York. In disguise as an impoverished immigrant, the pampered prince quickly finds himself a new job, new friends, new digs, new enemies and lots of trouble.

“This summer, Prince Akeem discovers America.”

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Cast

Eddie Murphy
Prince Akeem / Clarence / Randy Watson / Saul
Arsenio Hall
Semmi / Extremely Ugly Girl / Morris / Reverend Brown
Shari Headley
Lisa McDowell
John Amos
Cleo McDowell
James Earl Jones
King Jaffe Joffer
Madge Sinclair
Queen Aoleon
Eriq La Salle
Darryl Jenks
Allison Dean
Patrice McDowell

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Landis
Writers: David Sheffield, Barry W. Blaustein, Eddie Murphy
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 9.6× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

38 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Coming to America Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Landis, shot by Sol Negrin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Nile Rodgers. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor George Folsey Jr. shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall and Shari Headley carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "This summer, Prince Akeem discovers America.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Landis directs. Sol Negrin behind the camera. Nile Rodgers scores. George Folsey Jr. cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 9.6× over at the box office.
238 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "Coming to America Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by John Landis, shot by Sol Negrin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Nile Rodgers. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor George Folsey Jr. shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall and Shari Headley carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "This summer, Prince Akeem discovers America.".
9IMDB entry: tt0094898 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 22 themes, including "new york city", "fast food restaurant", "prince", "fake identity".

The technical file

Cinematography: Sol Negrin
Original score: Nile Rodgers
Editing: George Folsey Jr.
Production design: Richard Macdonald
Costume design: Deborah Nadoolman Landis
Makeup / hair: Rolf John Keppler
Stunt coordinator: John Sherrod
Runtime: 117 min · 1h 57m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $30,000,000
Box office: $288,752,301
Return: 963% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Coming to America (1988)

Part of

Coming to America Collection

Coming to America is a 1988 American romantic comedy film directed by John Landis and based on a story originally created by Eddie Murphy, who also starred in the lead role. The film also co-stars Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, Shari Headley, and John Amos. Eddie Murphy plays Akeem Joffer, the crown prince of the fictional African nation of Zamunda, who travels to the United States in the hopes of finding a woman he can marry. A sequel, Coming 2 America, was released on March 4, 2021.

Also by

John Landis

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Gimly2019-04-12
★ 5/10
Hasn't aged flawlessly, made some stylistic decisions that probably would have come across as weird even at the time, and not the sort of thing (American comedy) that typically appeals to me. But I can still absolutely see why Coming to America is remembered as fondly as it is. I liked it by and large more than the most similar offerings of today. Final rating:★★½ - Not quite for me, but I definitely get the appeal.
r96sk2021-03-05
★ 7/10
I didn't enjoy it as much as expected, but <em>'Coming to America'</em> 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.
Wuchak2021-03-07
★ 10/10
My all-time favorite comedy In "Coming to America" (1988) Eddie Murphy plays the likable prince of a rich African kingdom, Akeem. He comes to Queens to find his future queen accompanied by his best friend & servant, Semmi, played by Arsenio Hall. He understandably wants a wife who will love him for who he is and not for his great riches. So they get hired at McDowell's, a McDonald's knock-off, where he meets the shining daughter of the owner (Shari Headley). Is she the one? Will she find a fast-food mop boy appealing enough to marry? As noted in my title blurb, "Coming to America" is my all-time favorite comedy. Why? Simply because it's a laugh-riot from beginning to end. The first time I saw it was on TV in 2000 and I couldn't stop laughing; I saw it again last night (after purchasing it) and it had the same effect. Everything works here -- the characters, the jokes, the story -- to make "Coming to America" one of the greatest comedies ever made. GRADE: A+