Coming 2 America

          

      A more apt title would have been "Coming to Africa" starring Jermaine Fowler and featuring Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall. Director Craig Brewer and Mr. Murphy try hard to capture the magic of the beloved original, comedy classic but miss the opportunity.

      Heavy is the head that wears the crown and now that Mr. Murphy is "King" Akeem of his fictional African nation, Zamunda, he gets very little opportunity to be funny. Yes, his smile can still light up a room but now he has three daughters and royal duties to attend to and not much time for comedy. By law, he must have a son to be the heir to the throne. Conveniently he discovers he has a bastard son living in Queens, the result of a one-night stand with Mary, played by Leslie Jones.  That results in an all too brief trip back to Queens to find his son and then back to Africa with Mary along for support.

       The quick stop in Queens does give Mr. Murphy and Mr. Hall a chance to play the barbershop guys and other characters we loved in the first film but now they have aged 30 years and their jokes are stale and their makeup creepy. Once back in Zamunda, the new prince, played by Mr. Fowler (an engaging young actor), must pass multiple tests to prove he is worthy of the throne. At this point, Mr. Fowler takes over the film providing its focus and moral center. Ms. Jones provides some laughs with her loud obnoxious comedy style and then to provide more comic support, "Uncle" Reem, played by Tracy Morgan, flies in from Queens, injecting a few needed laughs with his unique comedy.

        The film relies heavily on nostalgia, even cutting in multiple scenes from the original to remind us just how good it was the first time around. It also manages to place Ms. Jones into the original to explain the presence of Mr. Fowler. There are many other familiar faces to stir our memories. John Amos returns as Cleo McDowell, the King's father in-law, Louie Anderson in a cameo as a McDowell's manager, Shari Headley as Lisa, King Akeem's wife, and James Earl Jones, briefly as King Jaffe. Musical appearances by Gladys Knight, En Vogue, Salt-N-Pepa are also a nice touch for the nostalgia factor.

        Wesley Snipes also co-stars as General Izzi, Akeem's nemesis, and just about steals the film as he reminds us of his comedic talents. Besides the welcome addition of Mr. Snipes, the costumes and choreography are also a bright spot in this otherwise disappointing sequel.