Coming to America

For the reality television special starring Victoria Beckham, see Victoria Beckham: Coming to America. For the song by Neil Diamond that uses the phrase, see America (Neil Diamond song). For the song from the movie, see Coming to America (Nile Rodgers song).

Coming to America
Theatrical release poster illustrated by Drew Struzan.
Directed by	John Landis
Produced by	Leslie Belzberg George Folsey, Jr. Mark Lipsky
Screenplay by	David Sheffield Barry W. Blaustein
Story by	Eddie Murphy
Starring	Eddie Murphy Arsenio Hall James Earl Jones Shari Headley John Amos
Music by	Nile Rodgers
Cinematography	Sol Negrin Woody Omens
Editing by	Malcolm Campbell George Folsey, Jr.
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date(s)	June 29, 1988
Running time	97 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$39 million
Box office	$288,752,301[1]

Coming to America is a 1988 comedy film directed by John Landis. The screenplay was written by David Sheffield and Barry W. Blaustein, from a story by Eddie Murphy, who also stars in the film. Murphy plays an African prince, who heads to the United States in hopes of finding a woman he can marry. Coming to America is the first of several films in which Murphy plays multiple characters.

Plot

Akeem Joffer (Eddie Murphy), the prince and heir to the throne of the fictitious African country of great wealth called Zamunda, is discontented with being pampered all his life. The final straw comes when his parents, King Jaffe Joffer (James Earl Jones) and Queen Aeoleon (Madge Sinclair), present him with a bride-to-be, Imani Izzi (Vanessa Bell), whom he has never met, and who is trained to obey his every command. Akeem concocts a plan to travel to America to find a wife he can both love and respect and who accepts him for himself, not his status. He and his friend and personal aide, Semmi (Arsenio Hall) arrive in Queens, New York City, because according to Akeem "What better place to find a queen than the city of Queens?" They rent a rat-infested apartment, with one window facing a brick wall, previously used for some type of crime against the tenant—a blind man and his dog, in the neighborhood of Jamaica and begin working at a local fast food restaurant called McDowell's (restaurateur Cleo McDowell's attempt to copy McDonald's), passing themselves off as foreign students.

Akeem falls in love with McDowell's daughter, Lisa (Shari Headley), who possesses the qualities the prince is looking for. The rest of the film centers on Akeem's attempts to win Lisa's hand in marriage, while adjusting to life in America and dodging his royal duties and prerogatives. Unfortunately, Semmi is not comfortable with the life of a poor man and thus unintentionally causes a near-disaster when, alerted by Semmi's plea for more financial help, the Zamundian royal couple travels to the United States and reveal themselves to the McDowells.

Although her father is ecstatic that his daughter has attracted the interest of a prince, Lisa, who has fallen for Akeem, becomes angry and confused as to why he lied to her about his identity. She refuses to marry Akeem, and he returns to Zamunda with a broken heart, resigned to marry the woman chosen for him by his parents. On the way to the airport, King Joffe remarks that Akeem cannot marry Lisa because of "tradition," and "who am I to change it?" Queen Aoleon responds, "I thought you were the King."

At the final scene's wedding procession, Akeem waits dejectedly at the altar as his bride-to-be makes her way down the aisle. But when he lifts the veil to kiss her, he finds Lisa instead of his arranged bride. They ride off happily in a carriage after the ceremony with Akeem offering to give up their royal privileges if she so chose. At this, Lisa playfully declines.

Cast

Actor	Role
Eddie Murphy	Prince Akeem Joffer/Clarence/Randy Watson[2]/Saul
Arsenio Hall	Semmi/Morris/Reverend Brown/Extremely Ugly Woman
James Earl Jones	King Jaffe Joffer
John Amos	Cleo McDowell
Madge Sinclair	Queen Aoleon
Shari Headley	Lisa McDowell
Paul Bates	Oha
Eriq La Salle	Darryl Jenks
Frankie Faison	Landlord
Vanessa Bell	Imani Izzi
Louie Anderson	Maurice
Allison Dean	Patrice McDowell
Sheila Johnson	Lady–in–Waiting
Jake Steinfeld	Cab Driver
Calvin Lockhart	Colonel Izzi
Samuel L. Jackson	Robber
Vondie Curtis-Hall	Basketball Game Vendor
Don Ameche	Mortimer Duke
Ralph Bellamy	Randolph Duke
Garcelle Beauvais	Rose Bearer
Cuba Gooding, Jr.	Boy getting haircut in barbershop
Clint Smith	Sweets

Production

Coming to America reunited star Eddie Murphy with director John Landis. The two had previously worked together on the comedy hit Trading Places (1983); however, Landis later recalled the differences in working with Murphy on the two movies: "The guy on Trading Places was young and full of energy and curious and funny and fresh and great. The guy on Coming to America was the pig of the world... But I still think he's wonderful in the movie."^[3] Despite the experience, Landis and Murphy collaborated again six years later on Beverly Hills Cop 3.

Coming to America features Murphy and Arsenio Hall in several different roles, which following the success of this film, became a Murphy staple. Hall plays Reverend Brown, who introduces Randy Watson (Murphy) and his band Sexual Chocolate, who perform "Greatest Love of All" at the Black Awareness Rally. Randy Watson is introduced as having portrayed Joe the Policeman in the "What's Goin' Down" episode of That's My Mama. In the barbershop scenes, Murphy and Hall play elderly barbers Clarence and Morris, who engage in furious debate with Saul, the old Jewish man, (played by Murphy) about the boxing skills of Joe Louis, Cassius Clay, and Rocky Marciano. One scene includes Cuba Gooding Jr., who does not speak, and the barber scenes are notable because Murphy plays both Akeem and Clarence simultaneously (seemingly giving himself a haircut). Saul calls Akeem "Kunta Kinte", referring to the Roots character made famous by LeVar Burton; co-star John Amos played the adult Kunta Kinte later in the Roots series. Hall also plays a woman who comes on to Akeem and Semmi at a nightclub. Sitting next to Akeem, she tells him "I wanna tear you apart," then looks over at Semmi and adds, "and your friend, too." Akeem frowns at the suggestion while Semmi spits out his drink.

South African chorus Ladysmith Black Mambazo sings Mbube during the opening sequence (the song also known as The Lion Sleeps Tonight). The group has gone on to record several different versions of Mbube; however, the version heard in Coming to America has not been released on its soundtrack or on CD as of 2006.

Landis's calling card/easter egg, "See You Next Wednesday", appears on a science-fiction movie poster in the subway station after Lisa storms off the train.

Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche reprise their roles as the Duke brothers from another Landis and Murphy collaboration, Trading Places.^[4] Randolph and Mortimer Duke had lost their enormous fortunes in that film. In this film, the two men are now homeless and living on the streets. Akeem gives them a paper bag filled with money, which they gratefully accept and exclaim "We're back!" A portion of the Trading Places score can be heard during the Bellamy-Ameche cameo. Trading Places is again referenced as the royal entourage leaves the Waldorf-Astoria in the final New York–based scene in the movie: the driver of Akeem and Semmi's limo is played by the same actor who played the Dukes' driver in Trading Places, from whom Billy Ray Valentine (Murphy) seeks counsel when the Dukes pick him up after bailing him out of jail.

King Jaffe Joffer, played by James Earl Jones, comes to America looking for his son after receiving a request for more money from Semmi. He goes to McDowell's and when asked by Lisa's father if he would like him to inform Akeem that his father had arrived, he responds with, "No, do not alert him to my presence. I will deal with him myself." This statement is similar to lines that Jones had delivered as the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.

The fictitious African country of Zamunda was probably inspired by a number of African republics which were former British territories (whose former head of state was the British monarch) which, as republics, no longer observe as head of state, but which remain members of the Commonwealth of Nations. This is borne out by the currency of Zamunda being “Zamundan pounds”, or by ancient African kingdoms such as Kongo and Dahomey, or perhaps, modern ones like Swaziland or Lesotho.

A promotional song for the film, also titled "Coming to America", was written and performed by The System.

McDowell's

In the film, the restaurant is owned by Cleo McDowell (John Amos) and based in Queens, New York.^[5] It is under investigation from the McDonald's Corporation for allegedly copying their franchise. At one point, McDowell confronts a photographer shooting outside the restaurant, whom McDowell believes is working to gather evidence for McDonald's. The logos and typeface are extremely similar, including the names of the dishes: the "Big Mac" becomes the "Big Mick" - Mr. McDowell explains that "They both contain two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions. But they use a sesame seed bun. My buns have no seeds." McDowell, in describing the differences between his logo and McDonald's, explains, "They [have] got the Golden Arches, mine [is] the Golden Arcs." Later in the film, when McDowell is first confronted by King Jaffe Joffer, he is seen reading a McDonald's Operation Manual.

Because of the name similarity, the film's producers had to obtain legal permission from McDonald's in advance before they could actually use the name "McDowell's."^[6] During production, the owner of a nearby McDonald's restaurant actually did threaten a lawsuit, not knowing this was a movie. The location of the restaurant is 85-07 Queens Boulevard in Elmhurst, Queens, as specified accurately in the movie. The actual building itself subsequently became the location of a Wendy's restaurant.^[7]

Reception

The film received a generally favorable reception by critics.^[8][9]

The film, released on June 29, 1988 by Paramount Pictures in the United States, was a commercial box-office success, both domestically and worldwide.^[10][11] The film grossed $128,152,301 at the domestic box office.^[12] It was the highest earning film that year for the studio and the third highest grossing film at the United States box office.^[13]

The film was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Costume Design by Deborah Nadoolman Landis and Best Makeup by Rick Baker, who designed the makeup effects for both Murphy and Arsenio Hall's multiple supporting characters. The film currently holds 63% "fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes critic website.^[14]

Soundtrack

Coming to America: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by Various artists
Released	1988
Genre	Pop
Length	40:16
Label	Atco Records
Singles from Coming to America
"Come into My Life" Released: 1988

The soundtrack to the film was released on LP, cassette and CD. The song "Come into My Life" by Laura Branigan and Joe Esposito was released as a single.

Side A

1. "Coming to America" — The System (3:49)
2. "Better Late Than Never" — The Cover Girls (4:02)
3. "All Dressed Up (Ready to Hit the Town)" — Chico DeBarge (4:50)
4. "I Like It Like That" — Michael Rodgers^{[disambiguation needed ]} (4:01)
5. "That's the Way It Is" — Mel & Kim (3:25)

Side B

1. "Addicted to You" — Levert (3:54)
2. "Comin' Correct" — J.J. Fad (3:56)
3. "Livin' the Good Life" — Sister Sledge (3:46)
4. "Transparent" — Nona Hendryx (3:50)
5. "Come into My Life" — Laura Branigan & Joe Esposito (4:39)

Lawsuit

The film was the subject of the Buchwald v. Paramount civil suit, which the humorist Art Buchwald filed in 1990 against the film's producers on the grounds that the film's idea was stolen from a 1982 script that Paramount had optioned from Buchwald. Buchwald won the breach of contract action and the court ordered monetary damages. The parties later settled the case out-of-court prior to an appeal going to trial.^[15]

In the retrospective interviews included on the 2007 DVD release of Coming to America, John Landis and screenwriters Barry Blaustein and David Sheffield make no mention of Art Buchwald's lawsuit, and maintain that the film's story originated with Eddie Murphy, with Blaustein and Sheffield writing the screenplay from Murphy's 25-page treatment. In an interview filmed around the time of the film's theatrical release, and included on the DVD, Murphy himself claims that he came up with the idea for the movie whilst on tour. According to Murphy, the film was originally titled The Quest. Blaustein and Sheffield renamed it The Zamuda Project (named for writer/comedian Bob Zmuda; Landis renamed the titular country "Zamunda" to make it sound more African).

In Giulia D'Agnolo Vallan's 2008 book John Landis, Landis is quoted as saying that Art Buchwald's case against Paramount was "without merit," going on to state the following:

“

I preface this by saying that I don't know Art Buchwald, and I have nothing against him. I should point out that for all of the media attention to that case, no one ever mentions Barry Blaustein and David Sheffield, the men who actually wrote the script! Every movie I have been involved with that was a big hit had people suing the studio saying it was their idea. We live in a very litigious society. You can sue anybody for anything here.[16]

”

Landis also provided the following response as to why Buchwald's lawsuit received more attention in the press than other similar lawsuits:

“

Well, because it was Art Buchwald! He is an old East Coast media darling. The other lawsuits came from less famous people. I remember on Animal House, there were four or five lawsuits. And Universal just settled them, as that was cheaper than fighting and even prevailing! Art Buchwald is not only East Coast, he's also a newspaperman. The press is going to take his side. The irony of that case is that the only people that his lawsuit benefited were Eddie Murphy and me because it forced Paramount to open their books.[17]

”

Legacy

Television pilot

A television pilot of a weekly sitcom version of the film was produced for CBS, following the film's success, starring Tommy Davidson as Prince Tariq, and Paul Bates reprising his role as Oha. The pilot went unsold, but was televised on July 4, 1989 as part of the CBS Summer Playhouse pilot anthology series.^[18]

Remake

Martin Lawrence is reportedly developing a remake; Back to Africa has a similar storyline as the original, but told "in reverse". The film tells the story of a working-class man from Queens, New York (Lawrence) who learns he is the heir to the throne of an African country.^[19]

References

1. ^ "Coming to America (1988)". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=comingtoamerica.htm. 
2. ^ Randy Watson is introduced as having played “Joe the Policeman” in the “What's Going Down” episode of That's My Mama.
3. ^ Collider staff (February 9, 2005). "The Collider Interview: John Landis, Part II". Collider. http://www.collider.com/entertainment/archive_detail.asp/aid/813/cid/13/tcid/1. Retrieved July 18, 2009. 
4. ^ Daniel Carlson (5). "Is it Just Me, or Does Every Woman in New York Have a Severe Emotional Problem?". pajiba.com. http://www.pajiba.com/pajiba_blockbusters/coming-to-america-review.php. Retrieved 3 July 2011. 
5. ^ "Coming to America Filming Locations". movielocationsguide.com. http://www.movielocationsguide.com/Coming_to_America/filming_locations. Retrieved 2009-04-09. 
6. ^ Coming to America (1988) - Trivia - IMDb
7. ^ Roelke, John (2004-09-13). "McDowell's from Eddie Murphy's Coming to America, Now a Wendy's". about.com. http://queens.about.com/b/2004/09/13/mcdowells-from-eddie-murphys-coming-to-america-now-a-wendys.htm. Retrieved 2009-04-09. 
8. ^ Benson, Sheila (1988-06-29). "MOVIE REVIEW Spare Fare in Eddie Murphy's `America'". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1988-06-29/entertainment/ca-4869_1_eddie-murphy. Retrieved 2010-10-26. 
9. ^ Canby, Vincent (1988-06-29). "Review/Film; African Prince in Queens". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/29/movies/review-film-african-prince-in-queens.html. Retrieved 2010-10-26. 
10. ^ Easton, Nina (1988-07-26). "WEEKEND BOX OFFICE : 'Rabbit' and 'America' Battle for Dollars". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1988-07-26/entertainment/ca-6143_1_box-office. Retrieved 2011-01-01. 
11. ^ Easton, Nina J. (1989-01-05). "Roger Rabbit' Hops to Box-Office Top; 'Coming to America' Hits 2nd". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1989-01-05/entertainment/ca-271_1_box-office-information. Retrieved 2010-10-26. 
12. ^ "Coming to America". boxofficemojo.com. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=comingtoamerica.htm. Retrieved 2011-04-02. 
13. ^ "1988 Domestic Grosses". boxofficemojo.com. http://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=1988&p=.htm. Retrieved 2011-04-02. 
14. ^ Rotten Tomatoes meter
15. ^ Thane Rosenbaum wrote, "In 1995, the syndicated columnist Art Buchwald prevailed after a seven-year legal battle against Paramount Pictures, claiming that he had submitted the idea, and the original script, for the Eddie Murphy film, Coming to America, without ever being properly compensated or acknowledged for his efforts. The trial court eventually agreed with Buchwald, although the damage award that he received was considerably less than what he had sought, and even less than what he eventually had to pay out in legal fees." --The Myth of Moral Justice, page 182.
16. ^ John Landis, cited in John Landis by Giulia D'Agnolo Vallan. (2008, M Press), pp.125-126
17. ^ John Landis, cited in John Landis by Giulia D'Agnolo Vallan. (2008, M Press), p.126
18. ^ "`OUTTAKES' - `COMING TO AMERICA' THE TV SERIES". Deseret News. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/26244/OUTTAKES---COMING-TO-AMERICA-THE-TV-SERIES.html. Retrieved 2011-08-12. 
19. ^ "Juan" (February 19, 2009). "Martin Lawrence To Re-Make ‘Coming To America’ In Reverse?". Highbrid Nation. http://highbridnation.com/2009/02/19/martin-lawrence-to-re-make-coming-to-america-in-reverse/. Retrieved October 9, 2009. 

External links

• Coming to America at the Internet Movie Database
• Coming to America at Box Office Mojo
• Coming to America at Rotten Tomatoes
• Filming Locations